May 3, on what would have been Pete Seeger’s 100th birthday, Smithsonian Folkways is releasing the definitive anthology Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection to celebrate the folk music vanguard’s lasting legacy.
The box set, which includes 6 discs, with 20 unreleased recordings, and a 200 page hardbound book, has been covered by Vanity Fair, Billboard, Rolling Stone, Democracy Now, and No Depression and a 4.5 out of 5 star rating from Uncut Magazine.
NPR’s flagship weekday program All Things Considered aired an interview with Smithsonian Folkways archivist Jeff Place on Wednesday tied to Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection, listen to the segment here:
https://www.npr.org/2019/05/01/718814390/pete-seegers-legacy-gets-immortalized-with-smithsonian-folkways-collection
Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection was produced by Jeff Place and Robert Santelli, the same team who produced the acclaimed box sets Woody at 100 and Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection, rounding out a trilogy commemorating three of Folkways’ most iconic recording artists.
Fittingly, there is also a grassroots movement to honor Seeger with over 50 concerts/events scheduled nationwide to celebrate his centennial this weekend and throughout the summer. There are over 35 events taking place in the United States this weekend alone. A full list, as well as previously unreleased concert recordings, photos and videos of Pete, and more are available here: https://spiritofseeger.com/home.html
Smithsonian Folkways is presenting two special concerts honoring Pete this summer: a concert featuring Dan and Claudia Zanes, The Bright Siders (featuring Kristin Andreassen), Sonia De Los Santos, and Elizabeth Mitchell June 30th on the National Mall, as well as a concert July 6th at Maverick Concert Hall in Woodstock, NY headlined by Happy Traum.
Order the collection here: https://folkways.si.edu/pete-seeger/the-smithsonian-folkways-collection
