The Mystery of the Mike Seeger (half-brother of Pete) Manuscript.
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brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,655
Some of you may find this little story about MIke Seeger, half-brother of Pete Seeger, interesting:
Sometime
back in the year 2010, I bought a songbook of various folk songs in a
thrift store. When I got home, I looked through the book and found a 24
page typed manuscript laid in it called "A SURVEY OF RURAL MUSIC OF THE
SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES". On the last page it says:
Mike Seeger
New Freedom Penna 1974.
Also
in the book was the printed insert for Folkways Records album number F1
8303 titled "The Banjo Instructor with Pete Seeger" and another
Folkways insert for record FTS 31034 titled, "Won't You Come and Sing
For Me" by Hazel Dickens and Alice Foster. Also in it was a page with
the handwritten lyrics to the traditional folk song, "To the Sweet
Sunny South."
I did a little research and found that Mike Seeger had a half-brother named Pete Seeger (the Pete
Seeger). After a good deal more searching, I managed to find a mailing
address for Pete Seeger. I sent Mr. Seeger a letter telling him about
the manuscript. (Pete was still alive- he died in 2014. Mike Seeger was
already gone, having died in 2009.) In May of that year, I received a
letter from Pete but oddly enough, the letter was a photocopy of his
letter to me with a handwritten line at the beginning telling me to
send the manuscript to another Seeger in Virginia and at the end simply
singed, "Pete".
The only problem is, Pete did not include an
address for this other Seeger in VA. I wrote back again but never
received a second reply. So now I still have the Mike Seeger Manuscript
and the letter from Pete.
The manuscript is not particularly
engaging reading- it's mostly a description of songs for an unnamed
record collection of folk songs, most of which appeared to have been
previously released on a number of record labels including Folkways,
Biograph, Columbia, Victor, and a few others labels.
This
thing is a mystery that has had me scratching my head off and on for
over a decade. For now, back into my fire-proof document box it goes for safe keeping."It's a sad and beautiful world"
-Roberto Benigni
Post edited by brianlux on
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Comments
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That's interesting. It should get to a museum someday.
I wonder about the future of these special one of a kind things we hold on to. They mean so much to us now. As I age I question the stuff I keep. I guess that's natural. getting rid of it is saying goodbye to those times?0 -
Seeger married Toshi Aline Ohta in 1943, whom he credited with being the support that helped make the rest of his life possible. The couple remained married until Toshi's death in July 2013.[113] Their first child, Peter Ōta Seeger, was born in 1944 and died at six months, while Pete was deployed overseas. Pete never saw him.[114] They went on to have three more children: Daniel (an accomplished photographer and filmmaker), Mika (a potter and muralist), and Tinya (a potter), as well as grandchildren Tao Rodríguez-Seeger (a musician), Cassie (an artist), Kitama Cahill-Jackson (a psychotherapist), Moraya (a marriage and family therapist married to the NFL player Chris DeGeare), Penny, and Isabelle, and great-grandchildren Dio and Gabel. Tao, a folk musician in his own right, sings and plays guitar, banjo, and harmonica with the Mammals. Kitama Jackson is a documentary filmmaker who was associate producer of the PBS documentary Pete Seeger: The Power of Song
You could try writing his kids? They sound like they are living the bohemian lifestyle!0 -
Loujoe said:That's interesting. It should get to a museum someday.
I wonder about the future of these special one of a kind things we hold on to. They mean so much to us now. As I age I question the stuff I keep. I guess that's natural. getting rid of it is saying goodbye to those times?tempo_n_groove said:Seeger married Toshi Aline Ohta in 1943, whom he credited with being the support that helped make the rest of his life possible. The couple remained married until Toshi's death in July 2013.[113] Their first child, Peter Ōta Seeger, was born in 1944 and died at six months, while Pete was deployed overseas. Pete never saw him.[114] They went on to have three more children: Daniel (an accomplished photographer and filmmaker), Mika (a potter and muralist), and Tinya (a potter), as well as grandchildren Tao Rodríguez-Seeger (a musician), Cassie (an artist), Kitama Cahill-Jackson (a psychotherapist), Moraya (a marriage and family therapist married to the NFL player Chris DeGeare), Penny, and Isabelle, and great-grandchildren Dio and Gabel. Tao, a folk musician in his own right, sings and plays guitar, banjo, and harmonica with the Mammals. Kitama Jackson is a documentary filmmaker who was associate producer of the PBS documentary Pete Seeger: The Power of Song
You could try writing his kids? They sound like they are living the bohemian lifestyle!The letter from Pete was had a stamp on the envelope that says "Toshi and Pete Seeger". His suggestion was to send it to what I believe is one of Mike Seeger's family members. Mike was an artist in his own rite, so I believe the manuscript should find it's way to his family or his archives, not Pete's.From Wikipedia:Mike Seeger (August 15, 1933 – August 7, 2009) was an American folk musician and folklorist. He was a distinctive singer and an accomplished musician who played autoharp, banjo, fiddle, dulcimer, guitar, mouth harp, mandolin, dobro, jaw harp, and pan pipes.[1][2] Seeger, a half-brother of Pete Seeger, produced more than 30 documentary recordings, and performed in more than 40 other recordings. He desired to make known the caretakers of culture that inspired and taught him.
"It's a sad and beautiful world"-Roberto Benigni0 -
brianlux said:Loujoe said:That's interesting. It should get to a museum someday.
I wonder about the future of these special one of a kind things we hold on to. They mean so much to us now. As I age I question the stuff I keep. I guess that's natural. getting rid of it is saying goodbye to those times?tempo_n_groove said:Seeger married Toshi Aline Ohta in 1943, whom he credited with being the support that helped make the rest of his life possible. The couple remained married until Toshi's death in July 2013.[113] Their first child, Peter Ōta Seeger, was born in 1944 and died at six months, while Pete was deployed overseas. Pete never saw him.[114] They went on to have three more children: Daniel (an accomplished photographer and filmmaker), Mika (a potter and muralist), and Tinya (a potter), as well as grandchildren Tao Rodríguez-Seeger (a musician), Cassie (an artist), Kitama Cahill-Jackson (a psychotherapist), Moraya (a marriage and family therapist married to the NFL player Chris DeGeare), Penny, and Isabelle, and great-grandchildren Dio and Gabel. Tao, a folk musician in his own right, sings and plays guitar, banjo, and harmonica with the Mammals. Kitama Jackson is a documentary filmmaker who was associate producer of the PBS documentary Pete Seeger: The Power of Song
You could try writing his kids? They sound like they are living the bohemian lifestyle!The letter from Pete was had a stamp on the envelope that says "Toshi and Pete Seeger". His suggestion was to send it to what I believe is one of Mike Seeger's family members. Mike was an artist in his own rite, so I believe the manuscript should find it's way to his family or his archives, not Pete's.From Wikipedia:Mike Seeger (August 15, 1933 – August 7, 2009) was an American folk musician and folklorist. He was a distinctive singer and an accomplished musician who played autoharp, banjo, fiddle, dulcimer, guitar, mouth harp, mandolin, dobro, jaw harp, and pan pipes.[1][2] Seeger, a half-brother of Pete Seeger, produced more than 30 documentary recordings, and performed in more than 40 other recordings. He desired to make known the caretakers of culture that inspired and taught him.0 -
tempo_n_groove said:brianlux said:Loujoe said:That's interesting. It should get to a museum someday.
I wonder about the future of these special one of a kind things we hold on to. They mean so much to us now. As I age I question the stuff I keep. I guess that's natural. getting rid of it is saying goodbye to those times?tempo_n_groove said:Seeger married Toshi Aline Ohta in 1943, whom he credited with being the support that helped make the rest of his life possible. The couple remained married until Toshi's death in July 2013.[113] Their first child, Peter Ōta Seeger, was born in 1944 and died at six months, while Pete was deployed overseas. Pete never saw him.[114] They went on to have three more children: Daniel (an accomplished photographer and filmmaker), Mika (a potter and muralist), and Tinya (a potter), as well as grandchildren Tao Rodríguez-Seeger (a musician), Cassie (an artist), Kitama Cahill-Jackson (a psychotherapist), Moraya (a marriage and family therapist married to the NFL player Chris DeGeare), Penny, and Isabelle, and great-grandchildren Dio and Gabel. Tao, a folk musician in his own right, sings and plays guitar, banjo, and harmonica with the Mammals. Kitama Jackson is a documentary filmmaker who was associate producer of the PBS documentary Pete Seeger: The Power of Song
You could try writing his kids? They sound like they are living the bohemian lifestyle!The letter from Pete was had a stamp on the envelope that says "Toshi and Pete Seeger". His suggestion was to send it to what I believe is one of Mike Seeger's family members. Mike was an artist in his own rite, so I believe the manuscript should find it's way to his family or his archives, not Pete's.From Wikipedia:Mike Seeger (August 15, 1933 – August 7, 2009) was an American folk musician and folklorist. He was a distinctive singer and an accomplished musician who played autoharp, banjo, fiddle, dulcimer, guitar, mouth harp, mandolin, dobro, jaw harp, and pan pipes.[1][2] Seeger, a half-brother of Pete Seeger, produced more than 30 documentary recordings, and performed in more than 40 other recordings. He desired to make known the caretakers of culture that inspired and taught him.
One of these days I'll get to it! I really should.
"It's a sad and beautiful world"-Roberto Benigni0 -
Good man Brian. Sometimes I feel this stuff finds us for a reason.0
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Just this for a buck!
it was at a rummage sale. I picked up the cd, wasn't going to buy it because I have the lp. Decided hey I may listen to it in my car. Got home, opened it up, got all crazy. Stuck it in a frame, sigs hidden, but I know they are there!
Nothing quite as historical as yours B, but really cool!
Post edited by Loujoe on0 -
Loujoe said:Just this for a buck!
it was at a rummage sale. I picked up the cd, wasn't going to buy it because I have the lp. Decided hey I may listen to it in my car. Got home, opened it up, got all crazy. Stuck it in a frame, sigs hidden, but I know they are there!
Nothing quite as historical as yours B, but really cool!0 -
I love it! What a rock and roll party in the sky. I sure hope so. I'll get rail for that one. Pete Seeger and the Ramones!!! That would be....bad. Although getting to know PS stuff. New to me. Definately rivals the punk rock attitude. He was mad about real stuff. Not just angry about being bored.Post edited by Loujoe on0
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Loujoe said:Just this for a buck!
it was at a rummage sale. I picked up the cd, wasn't going to buy it because I have the lp. Decided hey I may listen to it in my car. Got home, opened it up, got all crazy. Stuck it in a frame, sigs hidden, but I know they are there!
Nothing quite as historical as yours B, but really cool!That is very cool, Lou! Rock and roll icons!Great album too. The stories behind them working with crazy Phil Spector are intense!"It's a sad and beautiful world"-Roberto Benigni0
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