Monday, August 10, 2009

Goodbye Mike Seeger



I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Seeger and seeing him perform. He was an extraordinarily sweet man with a great handshake.
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, and dobro. 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. He was also a founding member of The New Lost City Ramblers.
Some great albums of his are:
Music From True Vine (Mercury Records 1972)
available to download here(it has never been issued on cd)
Early Southern Guitar Sounds (Smithsonian Folkways, 2007) available to buy here
Southern Banjo Sounds (Smithsonian Folkways 1998)
Second Annual Farewell Reunion (Mercury Records, 1973)
Not that I care much at all for or about Robert Zimmerman, here is a quote from him pertaining to Mike:
"He was the supreme archetype [of the folk musician]. He could push a stake through Dracula's black heart. He was the romantic, egalitarian and revolutionary type all at once."
—Bob Dylan

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