Nearly 100 years ago, one of the giants of American folk music, Pete Seeger, was born in New York City. The singer, songwriter and guitar and banjo player first achieved fame in the 1950s as a member of the folk quartet the Weavers and later became closely associated with the civil rights movement and protests against the Vietnam War. His songs such as “Turn! Turn! Turn!” and “If I had a Hammer” became anthems of the era and were recorded by many other artists.
Seeger, who died in 2014 at age 94, inspired legions of other musicians over the years — and perhaps one of the most accomplished was John McCutcheon, the multi-instrumentalist (guitar, banjo, piano, hammered dulcimer, autoharp and more) and six-time Grammy nominee.
McCutcheon has produced over 20 albums by other artists, and he’s recorded a whopping 40 of his own — including his newest one, “To Everyone in the World: A Celebration of Pete Seeger,” on which McCutcheon is joined by many guest artists to cover many of Seeger’s most noted songs.
McCutcheon, who was a close friend of Seeger, comes to the Valley tonight (Thursday) at 7:30 p.m. for a concert at the Mount Toby Friends Meeting at 194 Long Plain Rd. (Route 63) in Leverett. These monthly shows feature singer-songwriters of music for social change, in service to the committee’s mission of working for social, economic and environmental justice.
McCutcheon, a longtime social activist himself, says his new album is the one “I’ve been waiting over fifty years to make,” and on it he’s joined by a diverse group of players such as Cajun masters Beausoleil, bluesman Corey Harris, and the fiddler Stuart Duncan. No Depression says the album offers unique takes on Seeger’s music: “[McCutcheon] opens the songs to new and well-versed listeners alike … I dare you not to be moved.”
Tickets for the show range from $25 to $30. They can be reserved by visiting mttobyconcerts.wordpress.com/schedule.