Pete Seeger’s Project

This article examines how politics and censorship have marginalized Pete Seeger, one of the most honored and celebrated performers in America. It argues that Seeger’s relative obscurity and marginalization can be attributed in large part to his virtual exclusion from the commercial mass media, but that they have also—paradoxically—enabled him to fulfill his particular artistic and political project. In particular, it cites Seeger’s lifelong commitment to communism and the American Left as the reason for his blacklisting and marginalization, having been a member of the Communist Party during most of the 1940s. The article also discusses some of Seeger’s significant musical projects, including the singing groups Almanac Singers and The Weavers, as well as his opposition to the Vietnam War.