Pete Seeger Tribute Evo Bluestein
I was too young to remember the first time Pete visited us, but Mother says it was during a time when house concerts and small venues kept him going, as he was blacklisted by Joe McCarthy. I suppose he was developing his performing skills and philosophy. The first time I remember a visit was at one of the Fresno houses we lived in. His father Charlie also visited sometimes, probably when he was a musicologist at UC Berkeley. All I remember is this older man did yoga on our living room floor, standing on his head in lotus position. It was the first time I had heard of yoga.
In our family we had our own Pete Seeger in one Gene Bluestein so these visits from Pete didn’t seem much more special for me and we had lots of famous musicians visiting regularly. Dad was very influenced by Pete early on. He told me that the first time he saw Pete perform he exclaimed, “I gotta have one of those!” And he did get a beautiful five-string banjo and had the neck lengthened after Pete’s style of banjo neck. This allows for more flexibility, playing in more keys with a capo. If you play old time music, you don’t use many keys but both Pete and Dad could be found playing a wider range of music.
Having recently put together a radio tribute of Pete with my family, I am reminded of how important and magical it was to grow up listening to all those records Pete made. It was educational and fun. He included the world music songs he collected, the civil rights songs and always some kids’ songs. He was an amazing storyteller, performer and a banjo virtuoso. Perhaps best of all he was one of the independent thinkers that I was lucky to meet. I’m referring to musicians mostly, who did not have a model for what they chose to do. They just forged their own way, inventing it as they went along. Looking back at the documentaries it is impressive to see him as he took on Congress (during HUAC) and CBS (during the Vietnam War). He was just one individual and it seemed he was unafraid of anything. Of course, he was setting an example for many others, musicians and non-musicians alike.
When I was a little older I remember Dad brought him to the old student union at CSU, Fresno. Then I got to see the man at work. The place was packed and he got everyone to join in his show, singing. He was mighty impressive. Never saw anything like the way people loved to sing with Pete. It was like a one-man festival. Years later on a performance tour with my brother, he let us crash an Arlo and Pete show in Portland, Oregon, and we saw the magic again. If you went to the concert, you were already agreed to participate, or you quickly signed on.
As I grew up to be a performer, I became increasingly aware of how many musicians were influenced by this incredible man.
Pete Seeger wrote: “spent a fine hour and more listening to Gene and family and friends, reading the booklet. I hope it gets heard around the world, giving hope for the human race.” (Written about about the tribute cd to Gene Bluestein, who passed away before Pete).