Peter Seeger was an American folk singer-songwriter, musician and social activist. He was a fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, and had a string of hit records in the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, notably their recording of Lead Belly's "Goodnight, Irene," which topped the charts for 14 weeks in 1950. Members of the Weavers were blacklisted during the McCarthy Era. In the 1960s, Seeger re-emerged on the public scene as a prominent singer of protest music in support of international disarmament, civil rights, workers' rights, counterculture, environmental causes, and ending the Vietnam War.
Among the prolific songwriter's best-known songs are "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", "If I Had a Hammer", "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine", and "Turn! Turn! Turn!", which has been recorded by many artists both in and outside the folk revival movement. "Flowers" was a hit recording for The Kingston Trio; Marlene Dietrich, who recorded it in English, German and French; and Johnny Rivers. "If I Had a Hammer" was a hit for Peter, Paul and Mary and Trini Lopez while The Byrds had a number one hit with "Turn! Turn! Turn!" in 1965.