Only one group Seeger wouldn't sing to

Pete Seeger, who died Monday at 94, sang to thousands of groups in his 70 year music career. A true egalitarian, he would only turn down one signing request, that issued by the US House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) in 1955. Oh, Pete offered to sing to them all right, as long as it was his canon of pro union, civil rights, environmentalism, and human inclusiveness songs. But HUAC demanded he sing out the names of fellow communists Seeger palled around with in the 30's and 40's. That was a time long before Russia was our imagined Cold War enemy; when communist affiliation was common among humanitarians. The McCarthyite panderers on HUAC were doing nothing to make America safe; simply scoring political points with the fanatical anti- communist crowd. On his passing its good to recall his words which, at the time, were nearly certain to land him in jail:

 ´´I am not going to answer any questions as to my association, my philosophical,
religious or political beliefs, how I voted in any election, or any of these private
affairs. I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked,
especially under such compulsion as this.´´

Though blacklisted from mainstream media for 17 years, Seeger avoided the ten year jail term imposed for being a true American to his Congressional inquisitors. They're long forgotten. Seeger will never be.