Mike Seeger Handed Us a Legacy
Mike Seeger, who died a few days ago, handed us a legacy. He made it his life duty to transfer to us the love and appreciation he felt for traditional American folk music, at the same time giving us the wherewithal to make use of it.
In the 1950s, along with his family members and associates, he started making a long series of influential recordings. Where his brother Pete Seeger was the great communicator, creating interest around the world in using folk songs to uplift people–along the way blurring the lines between styles and making updates to the tradition, Mike was all about authenticity. In the process, his band, the New Lost City Ramblers
Another of the great gifts Mike Seeger gave to us was introducing the world to Elizabeth Cotten. The story of how Cotten ‘accidentally’ became a domestic in the Seeger household–a place where, not only were there guitars around, but people who were in a position to realize what they had on their hands once they heard her play one–is one of those stories that kind of makes you go ‘woah, coincidence or something more?’ “Libba” Cotten became famous in folk music circles due to the recordings of her songs Mike Seeger made and his recordings of her. Every aspiring fingerpicker must learn her song “Freight Train“.
Tom Paley was the guy I remember being the fingerpicker in the New Lost City Ramblers, with Mike all over the place, on fiddle, mandolin and even autoharp, which he played on the recent Alison Krauss / Robert Plant outing. I think he was doing some of the Carter Family style strumming and country guitar flatpick runs on those old recordings, along with John Cohen–but I guess Mike fingerpicked too, need to go back and listen. You should too. I still remember the first thrill of hearing this stuff, even before I ever heard of ‘Bluegrass‘. The verve and passion in the music leaping off the recording, the astonishment (back then when I heard it, long after it was recorded) that these were not old-timers recorded in the 30s, but younger guys doing it. All of them singing like they were born in the Briar Patch. And giving new generations of people a taste of music they would have needed to go sort through attics and crates of old 78s to ever hear. Those NLCR records influenced the 60s too, and helped spark generations of pickers and fiddlers and singers–many of whom are going strong today…. And who, like myself, will be putting on his recordings, pulling out songbooks to rehash old songs we learned from him, remembering him and the friends we made playing his music.
Many of Mike’s more historic recordings are available at Smithsonian Folkways
If you're obsessed with acoustic fingerstyle guitar, make it known by leaving a comment. You'll be asked to create an account the first time, and you'll need to check your email to complete the registration. You can also subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader..
