Best Selling Books by Pete Seeger

Long an icon of American musical and political life, Pete Seeger has written eloquently in a diverse array of publications but nowhere is his life story more personally chronicled than in these, his private writings, documents and letters stored for decades in his family barn. Pete Seeger: His Life in His Own Words, collects Seeger''s letters, notes, published articles, rough drafts, stories and poetry - creating the most intimate picture yet available of Seeger as a musician, an activist and a family man. The book covers the passions, personalities and experiences of a lifetime of struggle - from the pre-WWII labour movement and the Communist Party, to Woody Guthrie, the Civil Rights movement and the struggle against the war in Vietnam. The portrait that emerges is not of a saint, but a flesh-and-blood man, struggling to understand his time and his place.

The Pete Seeger Reader brings together writing by and about Seeger and covers his songwriting, recording, book and magazine publishing, and political organizing over the course of his lengthy, storied career.

"Filled with beautiful music, glorious lyrics, and the soul of one of the most important historical and social revolutions of our history." -- Judy Collins This narrative scrapbook collects forty songs and includes profiles of activists and a chronological outline of the extraordinary events from 1955 to 1968. It is a story of courage and resilience on the part of ordinary people. From ''This Little Light of Mine'' to ''We Shall Overcome,'' the music of the time was both encouragement and catharsis for those who struggled against adversity in an effort to change the world. In words, photographs, and music, Pete Seeger and Bob Reiser tell the story of the civil rights movement, building their narrative around the accounts of people involved and the songs that inspired their struggle. It documents the sit-ins, freedom rides, and marches that occurred along the long path to triumph in an uncertain age.

For children raised on Abiyoyo here''s a cozy collection of old and new classics to share with parents. Each section is preceded by an introduction describing the origins of the stories. Also included is a brief afterword for each story, suggesting ways to personalize the stories for the reader''s own family. The book ends with a collection of story beginnings to help anyone become a storyteller.

The well-known folksinger explores the appeal, traditions, significance and performers of folk music from America, Asia, Europe, and Africa

(Richmond Music Folios). This songbook celebrates the legacy of Pete Seeger with 41 favorites presented with words, melody lines, and chord symbols: All Mixed Up * The Bells of Rhymney * Blue Skies * Goodnight, Irene * Guantanamera * If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song) * Lonesome Valley * Michael Row the Boat Ashore * Midnight Special * Over the Hills * So Long It''s Been Good to Know Yuh (Dusty Old Dust) * This Land Is Your Land * Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season) * We Shall Overcome * Where Have All the Flowers Gone? * and more.

One of the most important and influential figures in American music offers his autobiography in words and songs. This down-home style perspective covers everything from the music business to social activism. Includes complete music to Seeger''s songs. 50 photos. Line drawings throughout.

Outcasts become heroes in this picture book adaptation of a South African lullaby and folk story. No one wants to hear the little boy play his ukelele anymore...Clink, clunk, clonk. And no one wants to watch his father make things disappear...Zoop Zoop Until the day the fearsome giant Abiyoyo suddenly appears in town, and all the townspeople run for their lives and the lives of their children Nothing can stop the terrible giant Abiyoyo, nothing, that is, except the enchanting sound of the ukelele and the mysterious power of the magic wand.

Chopping Wood is Pete Seeger up close and personal like never before. Derived from years of conversations between Seeger and his close friend and collaborator David Bernz, it takes readers on a uniquely personal journey through this legendary folksinger and songwriter remarkable life and career, in his own words. Listen in as Pete unabashedly shares historical and family stories; tells of learning the banjo, traveling with Woody Guthrie, and finding commercial success with The Weavers; explains how he wrote books and put together songs; delves into controversial subjects like communism and the Peekskill Riots; and highlights those he admired and respected, including Bruce Springsteen, who honoured Pete with his Seeger Sessions album in 2006. Pete and David share the heavy lifting as they tackle subjects such as the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, Pete''s relationship to Greenwich Village, and the need for copyright reform. Together, they describe how Pete put his worldview into practice in his local community, how he lived with local hero status in later life, and how they made recordings together that resulted in two Grammy Awards. Minimally edited to preserve Seeger''s trademark cadence, the book is punctuated by historical images and additional commentary from David as well as other musicians and friends. Readers will come to know Pete more deeply as they hear this gentle, principled man''s voice resonate in their own heads, and along the way perhaps they might absorb some of his humility and willingness to respect those whose opinions differed greatly from his own--vital qualities in these troubled and divisive times.

This book demonstrates the key role the song "We Shall Overcome" played in the civil rights, labor, and antiwar movements in America.

Pete Seeger is an outstanding folksinger and an American treasure. Millions in every corner of the globe have listened to and sung along with Seeger—discovering the riches of America''s folk song heritage. Originally published in 1961, this book includes the most popular songs in Pete Seeger''s songbag. 84 traditional folk songs, including such favorites as "Irene Goodnight," "Darline Corey," "Shenandoah," etc. Each song comes complete with melody line, lyrics, guitar chords, and Seeger''s own introductory comments. Beautifully illustrated throughout with over 100 reproductions of documentary prints and wood-cuts, American Favorite Ballads presents a rich panorama of our America''s great folk song legacy.

Based on a South African tale, this story tells what happens when a giant who had been banished from a town by a magician thirty years earlier is called back to save the town from flooding. The little town that was once threatened by the giant Abiyoyo has grown by leaps and bounds. But now that the townspeople have chopped down all their trees, every year they have floods and droughts. Worse yet, there''s a giant boulder blocking up the site of their new dam! Something has to be done. Well, the young boy who helped make Abiyoyo disappear way back when now has a little girl of his own. And she knows the only way to save the town: Bring back Abiyoyo to help move the boulder. "Bring back Abiyoyo?" the townspeople cry. "The giant that eats people up?" But the little girl has a plan for that, too. Fifteen years after Pete Seeger''s storysong "Abiyoyo" came to life as a picture book, his beloved giant is back in a wonderful new story. With Michael Hays''s brilliant illustrations and a sing-along score included, Abiyoyo Returns is destined to become a family favorite.

From Introduction: "Huddie Ledbetter, nicknamed Leadbelly, died in December, 1949 at the age of 64. He had come out of the deep South, settled down in a little apartment on New York''s lower East Side, determined to build a successful career as a musician. Unfortunately, there was not much interest in folk music then. He got occasional jobs singing for schools and colleges, or at little parties where they were raising money for some cause like helping Loyalist Spain. Until the last three years of his life, he had barely recorded more than a few dozen songs. Today, through his recordings, he is world famous as one of the greatest singers of folksongs of this century. Songs he composed, or helped put together out of the fragments of older tunes, or adapted into the form in which we all know them now, have sold in the tens of millions: Good Night Irene, Bring Me A Little Water, Silvy, Midnight Special, Rock Island Line, Kisses Sweeter Than Wine (the tune), Old Cotton Fields At Home, and many others. The driving rhythms he developed on his unusual guitar, with its double strings, are unforgettable to anyone who ever heard them. Today, many young people wishing to learn his songs as he sang them, are trying to learn his style of guitar playing. This book is designed to help them, but it cannot be considered a substitute for listening to the recordings of Leadbelly....It must be remembered that more is involved than playing the correct notes and rhythm. When you listen to Leadbelly on record, you are listening to a man with many years of experience play an instrument. To achieve what he achieved is something which cannot be communicated in a book." - Julius Lester

Poor Lee! He used to be a jazzman who could make the piano go yimbatimba- TANG--zang-zang. But now he''s lost his hearing, and the bandleader had to let him go. So Lee goes to a school for the deaf to learn sign language. There, he meets Max, who used to play the sax. Riding the subway to class, they start signing about all the songs they love. A bass player named Rose joins in and soon they''ve got a little sign language band. And in no time they''re performing for audiences in the subway, night after night. Living legend and Kennedy Center honoree Pete Seeger, renowned poet Paul DuBois Jacobs, and Coretta Scott King honor winner R. Gregory Christie present a jazzy riff on the power of music, overcoming obstacles, and all the different ways to hear the world. So, who will listen to a deaf musician? Everyone!

"Pete Seeger has led millions of people in joyful singing for over sixty years, and his banjo style has influenced innumerable players. On this unique DVD he teaches up-picking, frailing, whamming, double-thumbing, tremolo, 6/8 time, calypso rhythm, hammering-on, pulling-off, two-and three-finger picking and a variety of wonderful songs"--Container.

Musician. Letter discussing Seeger''s "Look" magazine article, August 1969, about sloops.

One grain of sand, One grain of sand in all the world, One grain of sand, One little boy, one little girl.Ó In 1956, renowned folk singer Pete Seeger found himself making up this song for his baby daughter as he put her to sleep, adding new phrases along the way. His gentle, rhythmic text is now accompanied by rich, luminous illustrations, making this the perfect bedtime book. Artist Linda Wingerter is not the first person in her family to do illustrations for Pete Seeger: Years ago, her grandparents used to design & create posters for his performances at their local library in West Orange, NJ.

Banished form the town for making mischief, a little boy and his father are welcomed back when they find a way to make the dreaded giant, Abiyoyo disappear.