One of the most comprehensive Pete Seeger collections will be released this May, on what would have been the singer and activists 100th birthday.
TitledPete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection, the six-cd set, which includes 20 previously unreleased recordings, will be accompanied by a 200 page book. The album was co-produced by Jeff Place and Robert Santelli, who have already compiled similarly exhaustive collections for fellow American icons Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie.
Seeger, who died in 2014 at the age of 94, was one of the single-most foundational and influential American folk artists and popularizers of the 20th century. Both his renditions of American folk standards and his topical songs became cornerstones of the folk revival of the late 50s and early 60s. Recordings of many of those latter originals, including Black and White, UAW-CIO and One Grain of Sand, will be included in the forthcoming release.
Smithsonian Folkways Seeger compilation will include a cross-section live recordings, collaborations, unheard rarities and a mix of his most well known standards and originals, including Turn Turn Turn, We Shall Overcome, Barbara Allen and Kumbaya.
Listen below to the recording of We Shall Overcome included in the upcoming release.
Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection will be in stores on May 3rd.