We’ve often said that we’re pretty fortunate to be in a space with such good ghosts. The list of musicians, artists, poets, and comedians who played the Village Gate is basically a list of the world’s greatest performers from the years the Village Gate was operating.


With the passing of folk singer and activist Pete Seeger, it seems like a good time to share two (somewhat) forgotten Seeger recordings that he recorded live at the Village Gate. He, along with Memphis Slim and “Wee” Willie Dixon, recorded a pair live albums at the Gate, released by Folkways. (Actually, they recorded a third album at the Gate. Though it wasn’t a “Pete Seeger album,” it featured Seeger backing Silm and Dixon.)


Take a listen to those below via Spotify or head to the Folkways site to buy the albums.


I’m not qualified to give you a nice round-up of Seeger’s life and achievements, so I recommend you go read Jon Pareles at the New York Times, who wrote a very fond remembrance of Seeger.





posted by dustin