Music

 

My favorite genres are rock, folk, Motown, and now, believe it or not, country.  Can't listen to opera or rap (except, perhaps Hamilton) and I really don't enjoy classical.  I've been trying and trying to remember all the songs I loved to listen to through the years.

Great-for-me background music: 
Dar Williams
David Mallett
Devonsquare

A stroll down memory lane....

6th Avenue Heartache by The Wallflowers (1996)
96 Tears by ? and the Mysterians (1966)
All Summer Long by Kid Rock (2007)
Alleluia by Dar Williams (1995)
Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not by Thompson Square (2011)
Bad Moon Rising by Creedance Clearwater Revival (1969)
Barbara Ann by the Beach Boys (1965)
Believer by Imagine Dragons
Blue Ain't Your Color by Keith Urban (2016)
Boomtown by Greg Brown (1994)
Both Sides Now by Judy Collins (1968)
Chicken Fried by Zac Brown Band (2007)
Cryin' by Aerosmith (1993)
Devil with the Blue Dress On by Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels (1966)
End of the Line by The Traveling Wilburys
Even Now by Caitlyn & Will (2008)
For What It's Worth by Buffalo Springfield (1966)
Foxy Lady by Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)
Girls Like You by Maroon 5 (2017)
Good Lovin' by The Young Rascals (1966)
Grandmother's Name by Catie Curtis (1991)
Hey Joe by Jimi Hendrix Experience
House of the Rising Sun by The Animals (1964)
I Ain't Superstitious by Jeff Beck (1968)
I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag (Fish Cheer) by Country Joe and the Fish (1968)
I Think We're Alone Now by Tommy James and the Shondells (1967)
I'm Still a Guy by Brad Paisley (2010)
It's Five O'Clock Somewhere by Alan Jackson & Jimmy Buffett (2009)
I've Been Around by David Mallett (1983)
Keep on Loving You by Steel Magnolia (2011)
Louie, Louie by The Kingsmen (1963)
Lover, Lover by Jared Neiman (2010)
The More I Drink by Blake Shelton (2007)
Mustang Sally by Wilson Pickett (1967)
Not Ready to Make Nice by The Chicks (2006)
Old Fat Women for Peach by the Righteous Mothers (2006)
One Day by Matisyahu (2009)
One of Us by Joan Osborne (1994)
Perfect by Ed Sheeran (2017)
Play the Song by Joey & Rory (2008)
Pontoon by Little Big Town (2012)
Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix (1967)
Season of the Witch by Donovan (1966)
Something to Talk About by Bonnie Raitt (1991)
Spirit in the Sky by Norman Greenbaum (1969)
Spooky by The Classics IV (1968)
Summertime Blues by Blue Cheer (1968)
Sunny by Bobby Hebb (1966)
Suzie Q by Creedence Clearwater Revival (1968?)
Waltz for Arizona by Cosy Sheridan (2003)
You're My Soul and Inspiration by the Righteous Brothers (1965)

PICTURE BOOK - Stand Up and Sing: Pete Seeger, Folk Music, and the Path to Justice by Susanna Reich

Illustrated by Adam Gustavson

2017, Bloomsbury

HC $17.99

44 pgs.

Goodreads rating:4.28 - 58 ratings

My rating: 5

Endpapers: Solid dark Blue

1^st line/s:  (after a wonderful foreward by Peter Yarrow) "Pete Seeger plucks and strums the banjo.  His warm, high voice floats over the crowd.  Heads begin to bob and toes begin to tap."

My comments:  I've been a folk music follower since my early 20s and a Pete Seeger fan for a long, long time.  I was so thrilled to discover this text-rich biography of this banjo-playing activist, perfect for elementary kids, especially if they know or have heard of any of his music.  What a great gift for kids - a copy of this book and a cd with many of the songs that he is SO famous for - We Shall Overcome; Turn, Turn, Turn; If I Had a Hammer, Where Have All the Flowers Gone; and Little Boxes to name a few.  Reading this book in the same week that the craziness in Charlottesville happened is especially meaningful, as "We Shall Overcome" should still be sung at the top of our voices!

Goodreads:  Inspired by the rhythms of American folk music, this moving account of Pete Seeger's life celebrates his legacy, showing kids of every generation that no cause is too small and no obstacle too large if, together, you stand up and sing!
          Pete Seeger was born with music in his bones. Coming of age during the Great Depression, Pete saw poverty and adversity that would forever shape his worldview, but it wasn't until he received his first banjo that he found his way to change the world. It was plucking banjo strings and singing folk songs that showed Pete how music had the incredible power to bring people together.
          Using this gift throughout his life, Pete encouraged others to rally behind causes that mattered--fighting for Civil Rights, ending the Vietnam War, or cleaning up the Hudson River. For Pete, no challenge was too great, and what started out as a love for music turned into a lifetime of activism and change. His greatest talent--and greatest passion--would become an unforgettable part of American history.

R. I. P. Pete Seeger

Troubadour ... Folk Singer ... Peace Activist ... Environmentalist ... and great American.

94 years is a great hunk of a century - and Pete Seeger had such a huge impact on the 20th century.  He had a huge impact on folk music, on the civil rights movement THROUGH his music, indeed, on history. He seemed
to me to be a simple, gentle man...gentle with strong views that he gently imparted through his music.

Where Have All the Flowers Gone ... Turn, Turn, Turn ... We Shall Overcome ...  If I Had a Hammer ...  all his, whether he wrote them, arranged them, or made them part of forever Americana.

My words cannot say enough about the man.  Here's one lead-in to the story of his death:  Pete Seeger, the iconic banjo-strumming folk singer and activist who performed for migrant workers and presidents, died on Monday. He was 94.  That comes from NBC News..

Or this one:  NEW YORK (AP) -- Buoyed by his characteristically soaring spirit, the surging crowd around him and a pair of canes, Pete Seeger walked through the streets of Manhattan leading an Occupy Movement protest in 2011.

Though he would later admit the attention embarrassed him, the moment brought back many feelings and memories as he instructed yet another generation of young people how to effect change through song and determination -- as he had done over the last seven decades as a history-sifting singer and ever-so-gentle rabble-rouser. This comes from MSN Entertainment.

The Washington Post has a well-researched obituary.