BBC Music Blog blog
Nigel Smith
mikeseeger_large.jpg
Sad (External) news at the weekend to hear about the death of Mike Seeger . Mike was a legendary banjo player and stalwart of the American folk revival in the 50s and 60s. His band The New Lost City Ramblers inspired Bob Dylan among others. In his memoir (External) Chronicles Volume 1 Dylan writes of Seeger, "He was extraordinary, gave me an eerie feeling. Mike was unprecedented. He was like a duke, the knight errant. As for being a folk musician he was the supreme archetype. He could push a stake through Dracula's black heart. He was the romantic, egalitarian and revolutionary all at once - had chivalry in his blood"
Even if you are not familiar with Seeger's music chances are you've seen him on television. He was one of of the many contributors to Martin Scorsese's Dylan doc No Direction Home and last year featured in our series Folk America .
This is a Folk America outtake we put on the website that captures both Mike's great playing and also his humanity.
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If you'd like to hear some the New Lost City Ramblers' music I've created a 10-track (External) Spotify (External) playlist that gives a flavour of their work.
If you have any memories or thoughts about Mike Seeger and his music please do share them below.
Related Links
(External)
Spotify Playlist: The New Lost City Ramblers
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