Seeger, Pete - Miscellaneous notes, postcards and letters (sent to Will McLean and Margaret Longhill), newspaper articles, programs pertaining to the September 22, 1967 Carnegie Hall HOOTENANNY concert starring Pete Seeger, John Bassett, Tim Buckley, Len Chandler, The Star Spangled String Band, Elaine White, Janis Ian, Tom Parrott and WILL McLEAN. Also included in the folder are notes from Pete Seeger to Will McLean (c. 1970s), a review of a late 1970s/early 1980 Peter Seeger and Arlo Guthrie concert at Ruth Eckerd Hall (Clearwater, Florida) in which Seeger sang Will McLean's "Osceola's last Words" ("...McLean, a courtly gentleman who is one of Florida's great treasures was sitting in the front row, looking as uncomfortable in a coat and tie as I would in a space suit..."), etc. According to Wikipedia: "Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead Belly's "Goodnight, Irene", which topped the charts for 13 weeks in 1950. Members of the Weavers were blacklisted during the McCarthy Era. In the 1960s, Seeger re-emerged on the public scene as a prominent singer of protest music in support of international disarmament, civil rights, counterculture, and environmental causes..."
Scope and Content
Spanning a period beginning with his genealogical roots in the late 19th Century and detailing the private and public life of "Florida's premier folklorist" from his birth until his passing in 1990, THE WILL McLEAN FLORIDA FOLK MUSIC COLLECTION consists of family history and photographs, handwritten song lyrics and poetry, promotional posters, handbills, brochures and programs, recordings (various formats), artifacts (his iconic black wool hat, harmonicas, a guitar, etc.) as well as correspondence between McLean and his family, musical collaborators and colleagues and his longtime companion and champion Margaret Mary Longhill. This fascinating research collection reveals a complicated, creative and eccentric activist who lived to sing the praises of his home and to bring attention to the history of Florida and the environmental damage that threatened the ecology of this beautiful and fragile landscape. The researcher will find a vast archive of primary source ephemera that chronicles the 20th Century Florida folk music world and the talented musical pioneers who paved the way for future artists who now entertain and inform at the many folk festivals across the state.
Dates
- Creation: 1885 - 2000
Creator
- From the Collection: McLean, Will, 1919-1990. (Person)
Access
The collection is open for research.
Extent
From the Collection: 15 Linear Feet (18 Boxes, 1 Guitar and case, and 2 Oversize Folders)
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Repository Details
Part of the Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida Repository
George A. Smathers Libraries
PO Box 117005
Gainesville Florida 32611-7005 United States of America
352-273-2755
special@uflib.ufl.edu