Most recently, music has been part of this year’s Arab Spring.

Liberation music has been important throughout the world, including songs of resistance during the anti-Apartheid struggle in South Africa. The power of song can be seen in its impact on movement-building, from the anti-slavery and labor union movements in the 1800s to the civil rights and anti-war movements in the 1960s. History shows the incredible power of music to inspire and influence, to energize and heal. (Originally published on Octoand updated on January 28, 2014) Pete Seeger is someone who really does make me believe, deep in my heart, that we SHALL overcome one day.įor Pete Seeger (– January 27, 2014) Rise Up Singing! What I saw that day made me especially thankful to Pete Seeger, not only for his music and his activism, but for his courage and conviction. He was singing his heart out for peace in our world. “Hey, I think that’s Pete Seeger!” I said, turning in my seat to continue watching him through the foggy car window.Īnd I realized that his mouth was moving because – alone in the rain, on the side of a highway – Pete Seeger was singing. As we drove by, I noticed that his mouth was open and moving. Pete Seeger was holding neither a banjo nor a guitar, but instead a large sign protesting the Iraq War. Pete Seeger was standing alone in the rain on the side of the highway near his home in New York’s Hudson River Valley. Yet, in spite of the fact that Pete Seeger gave thousands of performances, I only saw him in person one time. When my own children were young, we sang together his songs “Goodnight, Irene” and “We Shall Overcome” and “If I Had a Hammer. Pete Seeger’s songs are part of the soundtrack of my childhood. I can’t remember a time before I knew his voice.

Pete seeger songs