A Musical Journey The Films of Pete, Toshi and Dan Seeger

Here are some of the most unusual home movies you'll ever get a chance to see. After sitting on a barn shelf for decades, a few of them are finally being offered here, including rare footage of Sonny Terry, Big Bill Broonzy, Pete Steele, Jean Carignan and others, selected for this video by Stefan Grossman.

Pete Seeger remembers: In 1955 I bought a secondhand Auricon, a 16mm camera with single system optical sound, used for making newsreels. . . . In 1963, Toshi and I took our three children out of school and travelled around the world, filming whatever good music we stumbled upon. There was no theme or plan. Three years later, with our 21 year old son Dan, we arranged to film African-American worksongs in a Texas prison. I'm so glad some of these films will finally be seen. For 30 years they've sat in our barn and Toshi and I would say 'When are we going to have time to work on them?' -- and we never had time. Along comes our friend Stefan and says, 'Let me see.'

Titles include: SONNY TERRY & J.C.BURRIS 1958: Crazy About You Baby, Buck Dance, Hand Jive; JEAN CARIGNAN 1957: La Grande Fleur, Interview, Sherbrooke Jig, Irish Tune; BIG BILL BROONZY 1957: Worried Man Blues, Hey Hey, How You Want It Done, John Henry, Blues in E; THE McPEAKE FAMILY 1964: Jug of Punch, Will Ye Go Lassie Go?, Pipes/Harp Instrumental, Oro Se; PETE STEELE 1962: Pay Day at Coal Creek; Coal Creek March, Galilee; ELLIS UNIT HUNTSVILLE TEXAS 1964: Working All Day Long, Grizzly Bear/Down the Line, 23, I Believe I'll Call My Baby; OKLAHOMA FIDDLE CONTEST 1957: Segments; SCHUYLER MICHAELS 1957: Two Tunes, Waltz, Soldier's Joy.