The Weavers

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

The Weavers were an American folk quartet from Greenwich Village in New York. Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert and Fred Hellerman founded the group in November 1948, after Hays and Seeger had earlier founded the Almanac Singers. The name comes from the play Die Weber by Gerhart Hauptmann, about the uprising of the Silesian weavers in 1844. The group sang traditional songs from all over the world, but also blues, gospel, children's songs, workers' songs and American ballads.

Music and breakthrough

After a successful performance at the Village Vanguard they signed with Decca. In 1950 came their big hit, Goodnight, Irene by Lead Belly, with Tzena, Tzena, Tzena on the flip side. The record spent thirteen weeks at the top of the chart and was the first folk arrangement to have so much success. On Top of Old Smoky, So Long, It's Been Good to Know Yuh, Kisses Sweeter than Wine and Rock Island Line were also made known by them. They encouraged the audience to sing along, and Seeger sometimes called out the words ahead of each line. On the early recordings they still had strings and an orchestra behind them.

Influence

In the time of the communist witch-hunt the members were blacklisted. Seeger and Hays had to appear before a committee of the House of Representatives, the records disappeared from Decca's catalogue and in 1952 the group stopped. In December 1955 it got together for a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall, after which Vanguard followed. Seeger left in 1958, and the group stopped in 1964. Their success opened the way for the folk revival of the 1960s. In 2006 they received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 1959Folk Songs Around the World
• 1959The Weavers at Home
• 1959Travelling On with The Weavers
• 1961The Weavers' Almanac
• 1987Classics