Seeger's range of influence is incalculable in folk music and beyond. Bruce Springsteen idolized him, Bob Dylan called him a saint and Joan Baez said that, "We owe all our careers to him." Seeger wrote some of the 20th century's most indelible songs, including "If I Had a Hammer," "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" and "Turn! Turn! Turn!" to name a few, all collected in numerous volumes throughout his life.

In total, Seeger's albums numbered well into the hundreds. Seeger entered the world already in the throes of traditional music. Born in 1919 in New York City, his father was a Professor of musicology and his mother was a classical violinist.