Mike Seeger (1933 - 2009)

Born 15 Aug 1933 in New York City, New York, United States

Ancestors

Died 7 Aug 2009 at age 75 in Lexington, Rockbridge, Virginia, United States

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Biography

Mike Seeger is Notable.

Mike was an Appalachian Folk Artist

Seeger received six Grammy nominations and was the recipient of four grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, including a 2009 National Heritage Fellowship.

Birth 15 August 1933 • New York NY

Birth of Sister Margaret Peggy Seeger(1935–) 17 Jun 1935 • USA

Death of Mother Ruth Porter Crawford(1901–1953) 18 Nov 1953 • Chevy Chase, Montgomery County, Maryland, USA

Death of Father Charles Louis Seeger Jr(1886–1979) 7 Feb 1979 • Bridgewater, Litchfield, Connecticut, USA

Death 7 August 2009 • Lexington, Rockbridge County, Virginia, USA

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Seeger

Seeger was born in New York and grew up in Maryland and Washington D.C. His father, Charles Louis Seeger Jr., was a composer and pioneering ethnomusicologist, investigating both American folk and non-Western music. His mother, Ruth Crawford Seeger, was a composer.[4] His eldest half-brother, Charles Seeger III, was a radio astronomer, and his next older half-brother, John Seeger, taught for years at the Dalton School in Manhattan. His next older half brother was Pete Seeger. His uncle, Alan Seeger, a poet, was killed during the First World War. His sister Peggy Seeger, also a well-known folk performer, was married for many years to British folk singer Ewan MacColl. His sister, singer Penny Seeger, married John Cohen, a member of Mike's musical group, New Lost City Ramblers.[5] Seeger was a self-taught musician who began playing stringed instruments at the age of 18. He also sang Sacred Harp with Ewan and Calum MacColl.

The family moved to Washington D.C. in 1936 after his father's appointment to the music division of the Resettlement Administration. While in Washington D.C., Ruth Seeger worked closely with John and Alan Lomax at the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress to preserve and teach American folk music. Ruth Seeger's arrangements and interpretations of American Traditional folk songs in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s are well regarded.[

• Fact: Also Known As Mike
• Fact: Residence (1935) New York, North Carolina
• Fact: Residence (1940) Sanitary District, Election District 13, Montgomery, Maryland, United States
• Fact: Residence (4 May 1950) Chevy Chase, Montgomery, Maryland, United States
• Fact: Burial (2009)
• Fact: Residence (07 Aug 2009) Lexington, Virginia
• Fact: Obituary (10 Aug 2009)
• Fact: Obituary (10 Aug 2009) Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States
• Fact: Obituary (10 Aug 2009) Virginia, United States
• Fact: Residence (10 Aug 2009) Burlington, Iowa
• Fact: Obituary (11 Aug 2009) North Dakota, United States
• Fact: Obituary (11 Aug 2009) Indiana, United States
• Fact: Obituary (11 Aug 2009)
• Fact: Obituary (12 Aug 2009) Burlington, Iowa, United States
• Fact: Obituary (16 Aug 2009) Florida, United States
• Fact: Obituary (16 Mar 2012) Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
• Fact: http://familysearch.org/v1/LifeSketch Mike Seeger, whose love for traditional songs and tunes inspired many other musicians — including Bob Dylan — to look for the rural roots of American music, died of cancer Friday night at his home in Lexington, Va. He was 75.

Seeger was a highly respected performer and collector of traditional music and a major force in giving rural Southern musicians a wider audience. He became a spark plug for the revival of interest in American music traditions in the second half of the 20th century.

He was born into a prominent musical family. His half-brother Pete and sister Peggy are renowned musicians and social activists. His father, Charles, was a folklorist. His mother, Ruth Crawford Seeger, was a music scholar, teacher and classical composer.

Mike Seeger quickly came to love traditional music, and began playing in earnest in his late teens. He developed major talent on banjo, guitar, fiddle, autoharp dulcimer, harmonica and several other instruments large and small. He sought out, learned from and recorded traditional musicians, starting in the Washington, D.C., area where he was raised, and ultimately traveling all over the South to find artists long forgotten or undiscovered.

He co-founded the New Lost City Ramblers with John Cohen and Tom Paley in the late 1950s. This trailblazing three-person string band combined the urban roots of its own members with a deep regard for music of the countryside and small towns.

The Ramblers mined old 78 RPM recordings and visited with senior players, bringing largely forgotten music to life with new yet traditional arrangements altogether more gutsy and respectful than those of most of the pop-folk groups active at the time.

The Ramblers also pioneered the practice of bringing many older rural musicians onstage with them for collaborative concerts, bridging gaps of culture and time for new audiences. Tracy Schwarz replaced Paley and continued with the group until its final concert, minus Seeger, in West Virginia on July 30, 2009.

In addition to his work with the Ramblers, Seeger pursued an active solo performing career around the world. He collected and documented music and dance, appeared at countless educational events and produced teaching videos on numerous instruments and styles.

Mike Seeger produced dozens of albums solo, with the New Lost City Ramblers, and with a broad array of other musicians. One album, titled Close to Home, features performances culled from his massive collection of field recordings.

As the end of his life drew near, Seeger was also working on a video documentary project focusing on current Southern banjo players.

Family links: Parents: Charles Louis Seeger (1886 - 1979) Ruth Porter Crawford Seeger (1901 - 1953)

Siblings: Charles Louis Seeger (1912 - 2002)** Pete Seeger (1919 - 2014)** Mike Seeger (1933 - 2009)

• Calculated relationship
  • Half-sibling

Burial: Unknown

Edit Virtual Cemetery info [?]

Created by: Weezie Record added: Aug 08, 2009 Find A Grave Memorial# 40435082

Sources

• "Family Tree," database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 14 July 2023, 01:44), entry for Michael Seeger (PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:LR89-TQ7 ); contributed by various users.
• "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K7FF-RBT : 8 January 2021), Michael Seeger in household of Charles L Seeger, District 13, Montgomery, Maryland, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 16-49, sheet 19B, line 50, family 392, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 1555.
• "United States 1950 Census", database, FamilySearch (ark:/61903/1:1:6F9X-45PR : Mon Jan 30 02:57:29 UTC 2023), Entry for Charles L Seeger and Ruth C Seeger, 4 May 1950.
• "Virginia, Divorce Records, 1918-1988," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVBK-RG45 : 3 March 2021), Michael Seeger and Alice Leyland Gerrard, 28 Jun 1982; from "Virginia, Marriage Records, 1700-1850," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2012); citing , Rockbridge, Virginia, United States, certificate #82-013525, Virginia Department of Health, Richmond.
• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK2G-NDHD : accessed 19 May 2023), Michael in entry for Professor Charles L Seeger, California, United States, 14 Sep 2002; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing San Francisco Chronicle, born-digital text.
• "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VQMJ-QY8 : 12 January 2021), Michael Seeger, 07 Aug 2009; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK5S-QYQN : accessed 19 May 2023), Mike Seeger, Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States, 10 Aug 2009; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing Times and Democrat, The, born-digital text.
• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVTS-C3YM : accessed 19 May 2023), Mike Seeger, , ; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing Associated Press Archive, born-digital text.
• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVYD-2HJP : accessed 19 May 2023), Michael Seeger, Virginia, United States, 10 Aug 2009; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing Roanoke Times, The, born-digital text.
• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK57-L8KZ : accessed 19 May 2023), Mike Seeger, North Dakota, United States, 11 Aug 2009; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing Grand Forks Herald, born-digital text.
• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK5R-9DN5 : accessed 19 May 2023), Mike Seeger, Indiana, United States, 11 Aug 2009; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing Post-Tribune, born-digital text.
• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVTS-C3YL : accessed 19 May 2023), Mike Seeger, , ; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing Associated Press Archive, born-digital text.
• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVTS-C3YD : accessed 19 May 2023), Mike Seeger, , ; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing Associated Press Archive, born-digital text.
• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK5C-CQ9Z : accessed 19 May 2023), Mike Seeger, Burlington, Iowa, United States, 12 Aug 2009; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing Hawk Eye, The, born-digital text.
• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK2V-G6MF : accessed 19 May 2023), Mike Seeger, Florida, United States, 16 Aug 2009; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing St. Petersburg Times, born-digital text.
• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, Births, and Marriages 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVPG-2CF8 : accessed 19 May 2023), Mike Seeger, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, 16 Mar 2012; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing Daily Progress, The, born-digital text.
• Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
  Find A Grave: Memorial #40435082 (accessed 19 May 2023)
  Memorial page for Mike Seeger (15 Aug 1933-7 Aug 2009); Maintained by Weezie (contributor 46517746).

See Also:

• Web: Obituary Daily Times Index, 1995-2010

Web: New York Times Obituary dated 10 August 2009

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/arts/music/10seeger.html

• Wikidata: Item Q4992201, en:Wikipedia