Brother of Pete Seeger and tireless collector of folk music dies of cancer
By Stephen Pate – Mike Seeger passed away on August 8th, 2009. The brother of Pete Seeger, Mike Seeger was lesser-known than Pete Seeger but beloved by those who connected with him.
Mike Seeger
He liked the “old-timey” music that only came on 78’s until he and his friends John Cohen and Tom Paley formed the New Lost City Ramblers
In the second video, Mike is performing on stage 3 short months before his death.
I interviewed Mike Seeger for the CBC back when I was a star-struck 15-year-old. He played Halifax’s only coffee house on Quinpool Road. Mike was warm and friendly to me, which they say is how he was. He tried to help me learn more about folk music which was his life and mission. When I stepped out of line during the interview, his southern country wit snapped me gently back into place.
“Are you a performer, Stephen?” Mike Seeger asked me.
“Ah, no,” I replied.
“Then why is your foot in the stage,” he replied with a serious twinkle in his eye.
You lose touch with people all through your life but some never escape your memory. Mike Seeger was one of them. I liked him immensely and always remembered that day with fondness. It’s sad to think he has passed on.
The NPR article, which is actually two, is well worth reading.
In one of the blessings and wonders of our age, we can take banjo and guitar lessons from Mike Seeger since he made a couple of DVDs. He would like it if you tried to learn some of the old styles. He spent his life educating and entertaining us with the music he loved. I have both DVDs and learned a lot about playing the old styles.
I am going to miss Mike Seeger and maybe try a little harder to play the real old folk music that matters. With a story from NPR
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