Pete Seeger sing along tribute in La Grange April 26

Wesley’s Place Live Music Listening Room welcomes back folk singer songwriter MarkDvorak for “The Power of Song: A Sing Along Tribute to Pete Seeger," on Friday, April 26 at 7:00 pm. For those interested in joining Dvorak on stage, a workshop / rehearsal “The Power of Song” begins at 5:30 pm. Both events take place at the First UMC Church of La Grange, 100 W. Cossitt Avenue.

“Thousands upon thousands of people over the years have taken up the banjo, the guitar and began opening their ears to the world of music because of Pete,” said Dvorak.

“Pete taught us how to use music to grow our communities and celebrate our heritage. He also
demonstrated over many decades the importance of using art and song to help
build a more just and peaceful world.”

After a long life filled with music and activism, Seeger passed away in January 2014 at age 94.

After WWII, Seeger along with Fred Hellerman, Ronnie Gilbert and Lee Hays enjoyed a number of chart hits as The Weavers, introducing the work of seminal folk artists like Woody Guthrie
and Lead Belly, and reintroducing American listeners to their own roots music
traditions.

Seeger left The Weaversin the mid-1950s after being called to testify before the House on UnAmericanActivities. He was consequently banned from radio and television. At the same
time he and his wife Toshi were raising a family in a log cabin they had built
near Beacon, New York on the banks of the Hudson River.

Seeger scrambled to earn an income. He embarked on a long string of performances at community centers,colleges and grade schools, crystallizing the powerful essence of American folk
music.

By 1969, The Sloop Clearwater was launched, a 106-foot long replica sailing vessel common on the Hudson inthe19th century. The Clearwater served to draw attention to the problem of
pollution of the Hudson River, which included mercury contamination, PCBs and
raw sewage.

Seeger’s greatest legacy may have been saving the Hudson, according to those who worked with him topreserve the waterway. And his environmental activism didn’t stop with the
river. In the autumn of 2013 he put in a surprise appearance with Willie Nelson
and Neil Young at a Farm-Aid benefit. Seeger added an extra verse to his anthem, “This Land Is Your Land” by singing, “This land was made to be frack-free.”

"There is a new enthusiasm for community singing,” said Dvorak, who is resident artist for the
community organization Music & Potlucks, and who also performed with Seeger on a handful of occasions. “Pete has led the way for a lot of years. He’sstill leading the way."

Dvorak has performed in thirty-eight states and in parts of Europe and
Canada. He has won awards for journalism and children’s music. In 2008 he
received the Woodstock Folk Festival Lifetime Achievement Award and the Lantern
Bearer Award from Folk Alliance International in 2013. In 2012, WFMT 98.7 fm
Midnight Special host Rich Warren named him Chicago’s “official
troubadour."

Suggested donation for the event is $15 - $25. Those aged 12 - 18 $10, children under 12 $5.
Reservations can be made online at www.wesleysplacemusic.com. Learn more about Mark Dvorak
at www.markdvorak.com.