We'd like to wish Sing Out! cofounder, longtime contributor, and current Advisory Board member Pete Seeger a heartfelt Happy 90th Birthday!

Sing Out! The Folk Song Magazine, Summer, 2009

We'd like to wish Sing Out! cofounder, longtime contributor, and current Advisory Board member Pete Seeger a heartfelt Happy 90th Birthday! In honor of his birthday, the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater hosted "The Clearwater Concert: Creating the Next Generation of Environmental Leaders," a star-studded, one night only concert event celebrating Pete Seeger, which was held on May 3 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The concert event benefitted and raised awareness for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, founded by Pete Seeger, which strives to preserve and protect the Hudson River. Legendary as a folk singer committed to political activism and social change through his music, Pete is also a passionate environmentalist. The concert featured over 40 artists representing a wide variety of musical genres and generations, including Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Ani DiFranco, Emmylou Harris, Tom Paxton, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, Ben Harper, Taj Mahal, Dar Williams, Bernice Johnson Reagon and Richie Havens. The evening, hosted by Clearwater, featured ensemble renditions of songs written by, associated with, or performed in honor of Pete Seeger. For more, including a full list of performers, head to <www.seeger90.com>.

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We'd also like to congratulate Pete for being named the 2009 Freemuse Award Winner in recognition of his commitment to musicians' freedom of expression during his over sixty-year-career. Seeger famously experienced censorship at different moments and historical periods for promoting peace, justice and equality in his music at times when these ideas were seen as threatening or un-American. In 1955, he was blacklisted after he refused to testify before the House of Un-American Activities Committee, citing his guarantee to freedom of expression. Due to this decision, he was boycotted for years by commercial venues and the media. When Pete did return to network television on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in 1967, he used the opportunity to critique Lyndon Johnson's Vietnam war policies by performing "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy." The performance was cut by network censors at CBS, but after the show's hosts objected, Pete was invited back to the show to perform the song uninterrupted in early 1968. The Freemuse Award is sponsored by the Bjorn Afzelius International Culture Foundation, which was initiated in memory of Swedish rock singer Bj6rn Afzelius, who died 1999. Afzelius was a political activist and a strong spokesman for suppressed people.