RAINBOW QUEST TELEVISION SERIES (1967)
Shanachie has released selected episodes of Rainbow Quest on DVD, two
episodes per DVD:
Johnny Cash and June Carter / Roscoe Holcomb with Jean
Redpath
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem / The Mamou String Band
The Stanley Brothers with Cousin Emmy / Doc Watson with Clint
Howard and Fred Price
The New Lost City Ramblers / The
Greenbriar Boys
Judy Collins / Elizabeth Cotten
Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee /
Mississippi John Hurt
The series is no longer available on VHS. Norman Ross, who made the videos available through his companies Clearwater Publishing, Norman Ross Publishing, and Academic Microfilms, over a twenty year period, no longer produces the VHS tapes. The only current source for the series, other than the DVD's listed above, would be used copies. For historical purposes, here is a complete list of the series:
1.Tom Paxton, The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem from Ireland sing traditional
and contemporary Irish songs, including "Butcher's
Boy." Seeger joins Tom Paxton, a singer/songwriter, on his
song "Ramblin' Boy."
2."Leadbelly"
This is a solo performance by Seeger in which he sings some of
the songs composed by the famous black folksinger Huddie
Ledbetter. He also performs his well-known allegorical story
about the power of music, "Abiyoyo." Rare films of
Leadbelly are included.
3.Elizabeth Cotton, Rosa Valentin and Rafael Martinez
Seeger and Elizabeth Cotton sing her famous song, "Freight
Train" and she demonstrates her left-handed guitar playing.
Rosa and Rafael sing songs from their native Puerto Rico,
including "Las Popules de la Tierra" (The Poor People
of the World).
4.Ruth Rubin
Ruth Rubin is America's foremost collector of Yiddish folk music
and the translator of countless Yiddish songs. Here she performs
several well-known Yiddish songs including "Chanuke O
Chanuke" and "Tumbalalayka."
5.Jean Ritchie and Bernice Reagon
Jean Ritchie, long-time collector of Cumberland Mountain songs,
sings from her extensive repertoire and plays the dulcimer. She
also displays several folk toys. Bernice Reagon sings gospel and
freedom songs a cappella.
6.Malvina Reynolds and Jack Elliott
Malvina Reynolds, who made up songs almost daily from stories she
read in the newspapers, sings her famous "Little Boxes"
among others. Jack Elliott, a protege of Woody Guthrie, sings
some of Guthrie's songs including "Talking Dust Bowl"
and "Talking Sailor Blues."
7.Bessie Jones and Children from the Downtown Community School
Bessie Jones and the children sing and dance a number of
children's play-party songs such as "Thread &
Needle" and "Drawing a Bucket of Water." Seeger
sings Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" and
several children's songs.
8.New Lost City Ramblers
The group includes Pete Seeger's brother Mike, his brother-in-law
John Cohen, and Tracy Schwartz. Among them they play fiddle,
guitar, banjo, mandolin and autoharp on such songs as "Maid
of Constant Sorrow," "Cuckoo Bird" and
"Arkansas Sheik." Mike shows films of a Japanese fiddle
band.
9.The Beers Family
Robert Beers, his wife and daughter, sing in a hauntingly
beautiful style including their own "Dumbarton's
Drums." Mr. Beers plays the Psaltry, an ancient instrument
that is plucked with feathers.
10.Herbert Manana
South African singer, dancer, songwriter Herbert Manana sings and
dances several African songs including "Zula",
"Wimoweh" and "Tinasizsw" (We Africans).
11.Martha Schlamme
German-born Martha Schlamme, accompanied by Abraham Stockman on
piano, sings several songs in German including the Brecht/Weill
songs "Bilboa Moon" and "Pirate Jenny." She
also sings several songs in Yiddish and Spanish and joins Pete in
the World War II concentration camp song "Peat Bog
Soldiers."
12.Doc Watson, Clint Howard and Fred Price
Three legendary figures of country folk music join Seeger with
their guitars and fiddle in a long list of traditional songs,
including "Old Dan Tucker" and "My Mother Chose My
Husband."
13.Norman Studer and Grant Rogers
Scholar Norman Studer talks about the folklore of upstate New
York and introduces composer-fiddler-guitarist-quarry worker
Grant Rogers. Rogers and Seeger trade songs, including "Down
by the Glenside," "Bessie the Heifer" and "My
Dirty Stream," one of Seeger's recent songs about the Hudson
River.
14.Pete Seeger: Solo
With his songs and a display of cartoons and unusual documents,
Seeger traces the history of political satire from the early days
of the U.S. He sings such songs as "John Brown's
Body,", "Casey Jones," "We Shall
Overcome" and his own anti-Vietnam War song "King
Henry."
15.Lino Manocchia, Ralph Marino and Federico Picciano
Italian folk music is the subject of the program, including a
film of a group sing in an Italian village. His guests, with two
of their friends, accompanying themselves on guitars and
accordion, sing songs from both northern and southern Italy,
including "Eh Volla Volla" and "Manuela."
Seeger sings "D-Day Dodgers," a song about the Italian
campaign in World War II.
16.Mimi and Richard Farina
This program was taped a short time before Richard Farina's death
in an auto accident on April 30, 1966, and contains many of the
songs he wrote including "Celebration for a Grey Day,"
"Bold Marauder" and "Pack Up Your Sorrows."
Richard plays harmonica and dulcimer (in a style all his own) and
Mimi plays guitar.
17.Roscoe Holcomb and Jean Redpath
Seeger and Roscoe trade traditional American songs including
"John Hardy" and "Birdie, Pretty Birdie."
Jean Redpath sings several songs from her native Scotland:
"The Beggar Laddie," "The Sky Fisher's Song,"
I Lost Ma Love" and "The Branca's Gotten Loose and
Etten all the Corn."
18.Clinch Mountain Boys and Cousin Emmy
The Clinch Mountain Boys, which includes the well-known Stanley
Brothers, sing a number of old-time favorites, including
"Worried Man Blues," "The Clinch Mountain
Backstep" and "I'm Thinking Tonight of My True
Love."
19.Sonia Malkine
Ms. Malkine specializes in songs from France, especially those
from the Auvergne, a mountainous area in southern France whose
songs are well-known in America. She sings "Baylero", a
shepherd's song, accompanying herself on an unusual 6-string lute
(with a simultaneous translation in subtitles on the screen). She
also provides a French rendition of Seeger's "Where Have All
the Flowers Gone?" and Seeger counters with a German
translation.
20."Woody Guthrie"
This is a solo performance by Seeger, in which he sings some of
the hundreds of songs composed by Woody, including
"Philadelphia Lawyer," "Roll on Columbia" and
"Put Your Finger in the Air," the popular children's
song. Rare film footage and photos of Woody are included.
21.Pat Sky and the Pennywhistlers
A combination of recent and traditional songs, including Pat
Sky's well-known "Separation Blues" and Seeger's
"Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" The Pennywhistlers
perform songs from Bulgaria, Russia and South Africa in the
original languages, including the original Russian song on which
Seeger's "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" is based.
22.Len Chandler
Seeger and Chandler trade songs they have written, including
Chandler's "Keep on Keeping On," "Beans in My
Ears" and "Move on Over" and Seeger's
"Walking Down Death Row," Seeger also sings such
traditional songs as "Mrs. McGrath" (Irish) and
"Die Gedanken Sind Frei" (Thoughts are Free) in German.
23.Donovan and Rev. Gary Davis
Donovan, the British recording star, sings a number of songs,
accompanied on the sitar by Shawn Phillips, who also demonstrates
the Indian instrument in detail. Rev. Gary Davis plays his guitar
and sings some gospel songs including "I'm Feeling More Like
Shouting" and "Oh Glory, How Happy I Am."
24.Alexander Zelkin
A young Russian emigré living in Canada, Alexander Zelkin trades
songs from all over the world with Seeger. Sometimes they sing
two songs to the same melody in two different languages. Seeger
discusses the use of the tune to "Twinkle Twinkle Little
Star" in different cultures. Zelkin sings
"Sylvestrik," a French song, and "Oy Tumani,"
and Seeger sings his song "Bells of Rhymney," which is
based on a Welsh poem.
25.The Cajun Band
Descendants of the Acadians who moved to Louisiana when the
British made the French leave Nova Scotia, the Cajun Band shares
its traditions and music. They sing a number of songs in their
native language including (titles are translated) "I Passed
Your Door and Didn't See Any Light" and "While Your
Mother's Not Here Let's Dance Real Close." Seeger
demonstrates his style of banjo playing and sings several
"play-party" songs, including "Skip to My
Lou," "Big Mammoo" and "Colinda."
26.Frank Warner
Seeger and his guest Frank Warner sing songs of the Adirondack
Mountains and reminisce about Yankee John and Frank Proffit.
Proffit is seen in a film as he performed at the Newport Folk
Festival. Included in the show are Frank Proffit's most famous
song, "Tom Dooley," as well as "Little Men,"
"Little Phoebe" and "Hudson River Steamboat."
27.Paul Draper
Paul Draper, the famous dancer, improvises to music played by his
accompanist Coleridge Perkinson and to several songs and rhythms
played by Seeger. Illustrating the importance of dance to a
country's musical life, Seeger shows films of schoolchildren in
Samoa, Indonesia and an East African Village.
28.Penny and Sonya Cohen
The subject of this show is work songs and lullabies, the latter
occasionally being the former, as when sung by a babysitter. We
hear and see films of men singing as they work: boatmen in Ghana
and woodsmen at Texas State Prison. Seeger welcomes to the show
his sister Penny and her infant daughter Sonya, and mother and
uncle sing a medley of lullabies, including "Hush Little
Baby," "By and By" and "All the Pretty Little
Horses." After the prisoners in the film sing "Long
Gone," "Jody" and "Down by the
Riverside," Seeger himself reprises "Down by the
Riverside."
29.Theodore Bikel and Rashid Hussain
Israeli and Arabic music and poetry are presented in their
original language and in translation. Seeger demonstrates how to
make a shepherd's flute out of bamboo. Seeger on banjo and Bikel
on guitar join together on the Israeli song popularized in this
country by the Weavers, "Tzena,
Tzena."
30.Steve Addiss and Bill Crofut with Phan Duy
Addiss and Crofut, American folksingers who have traveled
extensively in the Far East singing under U.S. Department of
State auspices, together with Phan Duy, "the Woody Guthrie
of Vietnam," explore the Vietnamese musical traditions. With
Seeger joining in they sing several of the 350 songs Duy has
written. They also sing the well-known American song
"Clementine" in Vietnamese.
31.The Greenbriar Boys
The fiddle and banjo are featured instruments in the Greenbriar
Boys' repertoire of Blue Grass Music. Seeger joins in with his
12- string guitar and they sing "Wabash Cannonball,"
"The Midnight Special," "Danville Girl,"
"Dink's Song," and the Mexican song "La Feria Das
Flores" (The Flower Fair).
32.Judy Collins
Seeger relates three parables and then trades songs with the
popular singer Judy Collins. Together they sing "Daddy
You've Been on My Mind," Bob Dylan's "Fare Thee
Well," "Wild Mountain Thyme," "Tim
Evans" and Seeger's "Turn! Turn! Turn!" Photos
made during Seeger's visit to a guitar-maker in Mexico are shown.
33.Jim and Hazel Garland
The Garlands tell about life in Kentucky in the days when the
mineworkers' union was struggling to be a force in the mines. Jim
Garland, a former mineworker himself, sings his "I Don't
Want Your Millions Mister." Jim plays the jews harp to
Seeger's banjo on "Turkey in the Straw." Seeger sings
the union song "Which Side are You on?"
34.Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee
Sonny Terry, the blind harmonica player, and Brownie McGhee, on
guitar, trade songs with Seeger, including "Rock Island
Line," "I'm a Burnt Child," "Down by the
Riverside" and many more.
35.Bessie Jones and Children from the Downtown Community School
In this return visit, Ms. Jones and the children sing and dance
with Seeger playing "Skip to My Lou," "Beans in my
Ear," "Cumberland Mountain Bear Chase" and
"This Land is Your Land."
36.Paul Cadwell and Mississippi John Hurt
Paul Cadwell plays several banjo solos including a cakewalk,
"Georgia Camp Meeting." Mississippi John Hurt, a singer
who had faded from public view, was rediscovered in his eighties
and began a whole new career, sings "Lonesome Valley,"
"John Henry" and "Goodnight Irene."
37.Herbert Levy, K.L. Wong and Hi-Landers Steel Band
Playing their steel drums, the Hi-Landers sing songs of their
native Trinidad, mostly in the Calypso tradition. Songs include
"Mary Ann," "Love, Love Alone," "Yellow
Bird," "Walk Around" and "When the Saints Go
Marching In." Seeger shows a film on the making of steel
drums from large oil
containers.
38.Buffy Sainte-Marie
Composer, singer, guitarist Buffy Sainte-Marie, through song and
conversation expresses the American Indians' mixed feelings of
love of country and bitterness at the unfair treatment they have
received. Buffy demonstrates the mouth-bow and sings some of her
own songs, "My Country 'Tis of Thy People You're Dying"
and "Little Wheel Spin and Spin."
TO HEAR YOUR BANJO PLAY (1946) VHS
Pete Seeger plays the banjo and sings in this very early film and provides some
narration. Also seen are Woody Guthrie, Sonny Terry, and Brownie McGhee.
ALICE'S RESTAURANT (1969) VHS and DVD
Brief appearance with Arlo Guthrie in Woody Guthrie's hospital
room, singing "Pastures of Plenty and "The Car
Song." Film also features Lee Hays leading a revival meeting
with "Amazing Grace."
MUSIC SCENE, Volume 1 (1970) VHS and DVD
This video of highlights from the ABC-TV musical series features Pete Seeger
performing "Bring Them Home."
TELL ME THAT YOU LOVE ME, JUNIE MOON (1970)
Pete Seeger opens and closes this feature film singing his
"Old Devil Time," which he wrote at producer Otto
Preminger's request.
PETE SEEGER: A SONG AND A STONE (1972) VHS
Biography containing many well-known songs and featuring scenes
of Vietnam War protests. Also features Johnny Cash.
THE WEAVERS: WASN'T THAT A TIME (1982) VHS
Features the story of the Weavers from the beginning to their
final Carnegie Hall concert, with rare footage from early
television and the Carnegie concert.
SEEING RED (1983) VHS
Fascinating story of idealistic humanitarians and radicals who
joined the Communist Party USA during the Depression and suffered
during the witch hunts of the 1950's. Pete Seeger discusses his
appearance before the House Unamerican Activities Committee in
August 1955 and sings several songs.
WOODY GUTHRIE: HARD TRAVELIN' (1984) VHS
THE ARLO GUTHRIE SHOW (1987) VHS
Pete Seeger is a guest on this PBS broadcast, along with Bonnie Raitt, Jerry
Jeff Walker, and David Bromberg.
A VISION SHARED: A TRIBUTE TO WOODY GUTHRIE AND LEADBELLY
(1988) VHS and DVD
Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie perform "Alabama Bound"
and Pete Seeger performs "Union Maid" on this all-star
tribute.
WE SHALL OVERCOME (1988) VHS
Documents this important freedom song, now known all over the world, and
discusses Pete Seeger's vital role in its development and popularity.
Includes some great concert footage.
PETE SEEGER: FAMILY CONCERT (1992) VHS
Pete Seeger performs a children's concert on the banks of the
Hudson River.
PURE PETE SEEGER (1994) VHS
On the eve of his 75th birthday, Pete Seeger talks with Bill
Moyers and sings some of his favorite songs. There is a great
deal of rare footage on this video, from Pete Seeger playing
banjo in a 1940's short film to "Waist Deep in the Big
Muddy" on the Smothers Brothers television program.
HOW TO PLAY THE FIVE-STRING BANJO (1994) VHS and DVD
Instructional video available from Homespun Tapes at
1-800-33-TAPES.
FOLK SINGER PERSPECTIVE: Pete Seeger at the National
Press Club (February 2, 1998) VHS
One hour program on which aired on C-Span. Available
from the C-Span Archives at Perdue University 1-800-CSPAN98.
PETE SEEGER'S FAMILY SING-A-LONG (1999) VHS
Pete Seeger is joined by Mike and Peggy at his home in a great concert of songs
for children, including "Come On, Join into the Game,"
"Hambone," "Five Times Five," "The Rooster,"
"Crawly Creepy Little Mouse," "This Land is Your
Land," "Riding in My Car," "Everybody Loves Saturday
Night," "Put Your Finger in the Air," "Garden Song,"
and "Sailing Down This Golden River." Available from Homespun
Tapes at 1-800-33-TAPES.
SMOTHERED - THE CENSORSHIP STRUGGLES OF THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS
COMEDY HOUR (2002) DVD
This documentary relates the controversies caused by the Smothers Brothers on
their highly popular Sunday night CBS variety show. The two appearances of
Pete Seeger on the program are examined, especially the circumstances
surrounding CBS's censorship of "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy," and
their subsequent allowing of the anti-Vietnam War ballad to air. Footage
includes Pete Seeger's performance of the song.
PETE SEEGER: THE POWER OF SONG (2007) DVD
This highly acclaimed biography by Director Jim Brown is the ultimate tribute to
Pete Seeger. Detailing his life with interviews with friends and family,
it provides an intimate portrait of a great American patriot and musician.
Highlights are interviews with John Seeger, Pete's brother, Tao Rodriguez
Seeger, his grandson, and Dan and Tinya Seeger, his children. This was
released on DVD (including a accompanying compact disc) by PBS following its
broadcast on American Masters in February 2008. It was released
commercially on August 5, 2008 as part of the Miriam Collection of films.
Not to be missed.
