Pete Seeger's Turning 90. . .

and, as John told us, Bruce Springsteen is throwing him a big bash at Madison Square Garden.

Maybe you don't think you know Pete Seeger, but I bet you've heard some of his work. (Sorry, but the following links are mostly YouTube, so we won't be able to get them from school.)

You must have heard "If I Had a Hammer", probably the Peter, Paul, and Mary version.

Or you must have heard "Turn, Turn, Turn", adapted by Pete from the book of "Ecclesiastes" in the Old Testament. Here's a short video on how he came to write it. And here's a version with Pete and a contemporary folkie, Dar Williams. You should check out Dar. She'll be there.

He did not write "We Shall Overcome", but he was involved in its adoption as a civil rights anthem.

He was also an indefatigable fighter for worker's rights. "Which Side Are You On?" is about coal miners trying to unionize in Kentucky in the 1930's. Here's an updated version of the song by Billy Bragg, another singer whom, if you don't already know, you should. Billy will be at MSG on May 3rd.

And finally, Pete wrote the anti-war/pro-peace anthem "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

Poetry, set to music, can be powerful and dangerous (see Marley, Bob).