Route 66 historian’s book about Pete Seeger reissued

David King Dunaway, a professor at the University of New Mexico, has done a lot of historic research about Route 66 and helped others do the same with his oral history workshops. He also produced the excellent the “Across the Tracks: A Route 66 Story” for radio.

We’ve met Dave at just about every significant roadie gathering over the past five years, and it’s a pleasure to discuss with him what’s going on with the Mother Road.

Today comes the news from reviewer Richard Marcus at Blogreviewers.org that Dunaway’s 1981 biography, “How Can I Keep From Singing? The Ballad Of Pete Seeger,” has been revised by the author and reissued by Random House Canada, under Villard Books.

In the twenty-seven years since the book’s original publication, Dr. Dunaway has delved deeper into the life of Pete Seeger in order to substantiate what he had in the first edition. He also, to quote Mr. Seeger, “spent many days going over each page” of the original publication with Pete, fixing mistakes that Pete had found in the original book. […]

How Can I Keep From Singing: The Ballad Of Pete Seeger is a marvelously detailed and fascinating account of both a man and an era. Yet, for all of his accomplishments, and in spite of all of the joy he has brought so many people over the years, I was left with a feeling of sadness that in some ways Pete Seeger never got to experience the gifts he bestowed on us. This is a brilliant and poignant account of one of North America’s truest treasures.

So if you love folk music, you know what to do.

One thought on “Route 66 historian’s book about Pete Seeger reissued

  1. I am listening to Public Radio, and the show is about Pete and his musical life with great songs anf stories – the title is the same as this book – KQED FM San Francisco Ca.

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