A Peter Seeger story: Wow! I exclaimed when I read Robert Shlasko’s letter to the editor in today’s “New York Times.” A student at Brooklyn College in 1950, Shlasko attended a rehearsal led by Pete Seeger, who died this week. While rehearsing the song he had recently written, “If I had a Hammer,” with the phrase in the chorus “between all of my brothers,” a woman asked–“What about women?” The male chorus members, including Shlasko, groaned. Pete Seeger, however, said she had a point and added “and my sisters,” a lyric I’ve always taken for granted. With Shlasko’s story, however, it takes on special meaning– a woman speaking up & a man making a change. Linda and I were at the 90th birthday gala celebration for Pete Seeger at Madison Square Garden, a event I’ll always remember.
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