The Weavers

The Weavers
Company type	Music group
Industry	Music
Founded	1948
Headquarters	New York City, United States
Products	Folk music recordings and performances

The Weavers were a prominent American folk music ensemble from Greenwich Village, New York City, initially consisting of Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman. Established in 1948, their repertoire included traditional folk tunes, blues, gospel music, children's melodies, labor anthems, and American ballads. They achieved substantial commercial success, notably with their rendition of Lead Belly's "Goodnight, Irene", which became the first folk song to reach number one on popular music charts.

Despite their widespread acclaim, the group faced blacklisting during the 1950s Red Scare era. Political scrutiny and FBI monitoring severely restricted their ability to record and perform publicly; both Seeger and Hays were summoned to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

Seeger departed in 1958, and his position was subsequently occupied by Erik Darling, Frank Hamilton, and later Bernie Krause until the group ultimately dissolved in 1964. In a 1963 interview with Folk Music Worldwide, Seeger reflected on the band's influence.

Formation

The origins trace back to 1940 when Lee Hays and Pete Seeger co-founded the politically engaged group, the Almanac Singers. Initially advocating peace and isolationism prior to World War II, they aligned with the Communist Party-supported American Peace Mobilization (APM). However, after Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, APM shifted its stance to endorse U.S. involvement in the war, a change mirrored in the Almanac Singers’ pro-war songs. The group disbanded following America’s entry into WWII.

In November 1948, Hays, Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, and Hellerman united to form The Weavers. Inspired by Hellerman’s suggestion, they adopted their name from Gerhart Hauptmann's play Die Weber (The Weavers, 1892), which portrays the 1844 Silesian weavers' revolt and features the line: "I'll stand it no more, come what may."

Early career

Initially facing difficulties securing paid performances, the group eventually landed a regular spot at the Village Vanguard jazz club. This exposure led to being discovered by arranger-bandleader Gordon Jenkins and obtaining a contract with Decca Records. Their 1950 recording of Lead Belly's "Goodnight, Irene", accompanied by "Tzena, Tzena, Tzena", became a major commercial hit—remaining at number one for thirteen weeks—and sold over one million copies that year. Pete Seeger later estimated that total sales approached two million. Early tracks often featured orchestral arrangements typical of that period; for example, "Lonesome Traveler," penned by Lee Hays, was supported by Jenkins’ orchestra.

During the early 1950s Red Scare, their manager Pete Cameron advised steering clear of explicitly political songs and left-leaning venues to preserve commercial appeal. Although some folk enthusiasts criticized this approach as compromising their message, the band prioritized wider audience reach and career sustainability—a tactic that boosted both bookings and record sales.

The Weavers played a significant role in bringing folk revival classics to mainstream audiences such as "On Top of Old Smoky", Woody Guthrie’s "So Long, It's Been Good to Know Yuh" (which peaked at number four in 1951), "Follow the Drinking Gourd", "Kisses Sweeter than Wine", Tony Saletan’s version of "Michael, Row the Boat Ashore", "The Wreck of the John B" ("Sloop John B"), "Rock Island Line", "The Midnight Special", "Pay Me My Money Down", "Darling Corey", and "Wimoweh". Their live performances often encouraged audience participation through sing-alongs led by Seeger employing a lining out technique.

Visual records of their performances are scarce; however, they appeared in the 1951 B-movie musical Disc Jockey and recorded five popular songs that year for television producer Lou Snader: "Goodnight, Irene", "Tzena, Tzena, Tzena", "So Long", "Around the World", and "The Roving Kind".

McCarthy era

In the 1950s Red Scare, FBI informant Harvey Matusow (who later withdrew his statements) identified Pete Seeger and Lee Hays as members of the Communist Party USA. Both were summoned to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1955. While Hays invoked the Fifth Amendment, Seeger declined to respond, invoking the First Amendment—becoming the first to take this stance following the Hollywood Ten convictions. Although Seeger was found guilty of contempt, his conviction was overturned on procedural grounds in 1961. Included in the entertainment blacklist Red Channels, the Weavers endured FBI monitoring and were banned from television and radio during the McCarthy period. Despite their widespread appeal, Decca Records dropped them and withdrew their recordings in 1953. Their songs lost airplay, causing a significant drop in royalty earnings, while conservative groups organized protests against their performances. These pressures severely impacted their financial sustainability, resulting in their breakup in 1952. Pete Seeger continued performing solo but remained hindered by ongoing blacklisting.

Reunited and later reconstituted

The group came back together for a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall in December 1955. This event’s success prompted a 1957 release titled The Weavers at Carnegie Hall on Vanguard Records, an independent label that signed them. Additional live tracks appeared on the 1957 album The Weavers on Tour. By the late 1950s, with folk music regaining popularity and McCarthyism waning, opportunities improved; however, Seeger only fully escaped blacklisting after his 1967 appearance on CBS-TV’s The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.

Following the 1957 LP release, the Weavers embarked on a month-long tour and recorded sessions for Vanguard that August. As Seeger’s solo engagements increased, he felt restricted by group obligations. A January 1958 recording session for a rock-and-roll single produced disappointing results, increasing his dissatisfaction. In February, after his objections to recording a tobacco commercial were overridden—a conflict with his anti-tobacco beliefs—Seeger resigned from the group on March 3, 1958.

Seeger suggested Erik Darling from the Tarriers as his successor. Darling remained with the band until June 1962 before leaving to pursue solo work and forming the folk trio known as the Rooftop Singers. Frank Hamilton succeeded Darling for nine months but departed just prior to the group's fifteenth anniversary concerts at Carnegie Hall in March 1963. Bernie Krause, who would later become influential in popularizing the Moog synthesizer, was the final member to occupy "the Seeger chair." The ensemble dissolved in 1964; however, Gilbert, Hellerman, and Hays occasionally performed alongside Seeger over the next sixteen years. In 1980, prompted by an ailing Lee Hays, an informal reunion evolved into a professional comeback culminating in a final full concert at Carnegie Hall on November 28, 1980. They reunited once more for an informal rehearsal at the Clearwater Festival in June 1981.

Music style

During a 1968 interview for the Pop Chronicles music documentary, Seeger addressed assertions that record companies struggled to categorize the Weavers’ music by stating: "leave that up to anthropologists and folklorists... For you and me, what matters is a song—a good song, a true song... Call it whatever you like."

The documentary film The Weavers: Wasn't That a Time! (1982) was released following Lee Hays’s death in 1981. It documented the group’s history and included footage related to their final reunion. Film critic Roger Ebert awarded it four stars and ranked it among his top ten films of 1982.

After the group’s breakup

Following the breakup of the Weavers, Ronnie Gilbert embarked on a solo career, while Fred Hellerman pursued work as a recording engineer and music producer. Gilbert also collaborated with Holly Near and in 1985 co-founded the ensemble "HARP," which included Holly Near, Arlo Guthrie, Ronnie Gilbert, and Pete Seeger.

In 2001, the group was honored with induction into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and in 2006 they were recipients of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Represented by Gilbert and Hellerman, the Weavers recounted their experiences of persecution during the political witch hunts of the 1950s. Hellerman underscored the importance of enduring with "decency and good sense" to overcome opposition while upholding integrity. Some have viewed his comments as a discreet critique of unquestioning allegiance to the Communist Party.

Lee Hays passed away in 1981 at age 67; his life story, Lonesome Traveler, authored by Doris Willens, was published in 1988. Erik Darling died from lymphoma in 2008 at age 74. Pete Seeger died at 94 in 2014, Ronnie Gilbert at 88 in 2015, and Fred Hellerman, the last surviving founding member, died at 89 in 2016.

Members

Ronnie Gilbert – alto (1948–1952, 1955–1964, 1980; died 2015)
Lee Hays – bass (1948–1952, 1955–1964, 1980; died 1981)
Fred Hellerman – baritone, guitar (1948–1952, 1955–1964, 1980; died 2016)
Pete Seeger – tenor, long-neck banjo (1948–1952, 1955–1958, 1980; died 2014)
Erik Darling – tenor, banjo (1958–1962; died 2008)
Frank Hamilton – tenor, guitar (1962–1963)
Bernie Krause – tenor (1963–1964)

Discography

Studio recordings

Folk Songs of America and Other Lands (1951)
We Wish You a Merry Christmas (1951)
The Weavers at Carnegie Hall (1957)
On Tour (1957)
Folk Songs Around the World (1959)
The Weavers at Home (1959)
Travelling On With the Weavers (1959)
The Weavers at Carnegie Hall Vol. 2 (1960)
The Weavers' Almanac (1962)
Weavers Gold Folk Songs By the Weavers (1962)
Reunion at Carnegie Hall (1963)
Reunion at Carnegie Hall, Part 2 (1965)
Songs That Never Fade (1976)
Together Again (1981)
Kisses Sweeter Than Wine (1994)
Kisses Sweeter Than Wine Vol 1 (1995)

External links