MAY 4 “THIS WEEK IN THE MUSIC OF NONVIOLENT RESISTANCE”

Legendary American folk musician and activist Pete Seeger was born on this week in 1919 (May 3). Seeger, who played music up until his death in 2014, was one of the most prominent musicians in the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, and he helped popularize the civil rights anthem, “We Shall Overcome.”

Among other causes, Seeger used his music to protest for international disarmament, civil rights, and environmental activism. Seeger was a vocal critic of the Vietnam War (despite being blacklisted by Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s) and of President Lyndon Johnson. His recording of the children’s song “Beans in My Ears,” which you can listen to hear, satirized Johnson’s ongoing support of the war.

Seeger was also aware of international movements. In 1982, he performed a benefit concert for the nonviolent “Soldiarity” movement in Poland for liberation from the Soviet Union.

Seeger helped influence countless musicians, from Joan Baez to Bruce Springsteen.

Learn more about Seeger’s life on NPR and Democracy Now.