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Pete Seeger Celebrates 90
By
Jen Carlson
Published May 4, 2009
Modified May 4, 2009
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By
Jen Carlson
Published May 4, 2009
Modified May 4, 2009
Share
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Yesterday the legendary Pete Seeger celebrated 90 years on this earth with an intimate gathering of friends at Madison Square Garden. You know, just the typical birthday party with a guest list that included Arlo Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Emmylou Harris, Joan Baez, Kris Kristofferson, John Mellencamp, Oscar the Grouch, Tim Robbins, his son, and many many more (51 all in all). Even Barack Obama sent a greeting to the singer, praising him for voicing "the hopes and dreams of everyday people," reports the NY Times. The grand finale included “This Land Is Your Land,” a song he sang at the President's inauguration, with everyone (including his 95-year-old brother) on stage to sing along.
The show wasn't all about Mr. Seeger, though—forever the activist, he also put the focus on his environmental group, Clearwater, which aims to clean the Hudson River. We'd have to agree with the Huffington Post and his legions of supporters when they say that this man deserves more than a party, he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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