May 3rd will mark 100 years since the birth of Pete Seeger. He was a musician of incalculable influence, an activist, lyricist, banjo picker, and, most significantly, a unifier of the masses. Like a Johnny Appleseed of music, Pete Seeger spent his life spreading music to all that would listen. From "We Shall Overcome" and "If I Had A Hammer," and "The Bells of Rhymney," to "Turn! Turn! Turn!" "Wimoweh," and "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine," Seeger left an indelible mark on music history that
Muddy Waters (1913-1983) was frequently considered the father of Chicago blues. Born in Mississippi and discovered there in 1941 by musicologist Alan Lomax, he moved to the Windy City in 1943 and proceeded to refine and redefine the sound of the blues, inspiring not just future artists in the genre but, significantly, those who later created rock-and-roll. In July 1974, some of the country’s premier blues artists joined together onstage in Chicago to celebrate the Muddy Waters legacy with the