Toshi Seeger was born Toshi Aline Ohta on July 1,1922, in Munich.
20 Facts About Toshi Seeger
1.
2.
Toshi Seeger's mother, Virginia Harper Berry, was an American originally from Washington, DC, while her father, Takashi Ohta, was a Japanese exile from Shikoku.
3.
Toshi Seeger met Virginia Berry while traveling, and they married and lived in Munich.
4.
Toshi Seeger was raised in Greenwich Village and Woodstock, New York.
5.
Toshi Seeger met her future husband, Pete Seeger, at a square dance in 1939.
6.
Toshi Seeger has been credited as the foundation of Seeger's personal and professional success.
7.
Pete Toshi Seeger was cited for contempt of Congress in 1961, but his conviction was later overturned.
8.
Toshi Seeger helped to set up the Newport Folk Festival during the early 1960s.
9.
Toshi Seeger has been credited with helping to discover Mississippi John Hurt, a country blues musician, during the same era.
10.
Toshi Seeger developed a career as a filmmaker and producer, often focusing on folk music and musicians.
11.
When Pete Seeger's ban from television appearances for his political views was lifted in 1965, Toshi produced and directed a public television series, Rainbow Quest, hosted by her husband 1965 to 1966.
12.
Toshi and Pete Seeger co-founded both the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater and its related musical offshoot, The Great Hudson River Revival, known as the "Clearwater Festival".
13.
Toshi Seeger used the festival to rally public support for cleaning up the Hudson River.
14.
Toshi Seeger recruited up-and-coming musical artists to perform at the festival through its planning committee, including Tracy Chapman, before they achieved popularity elsewhere.
15.
Toshi Seeger executive produced the 2007 PBS documentary, Pete Seeger: The Power of Song, which won an Emmy Award.
16.
Toshi Seeger was 85 years old at the time of the documentary's production.
17.
Toshi Seeger served on numerous civic, environmental and artistic organizations, including the New York State Council on the Arts.
18.
Toshi Seeger died at her home in Beacon, New York on July 9,2013, at age 91; by her side were her husband and their youngest daughter Tinya Seeger, who had dedicated years of her life to taking care of her parents.
19.
Toshi Seeger was preceded in death by her first child Peter Jr.
20.
Pete Toshi Seeger died six months later, on January 27,2014, aged 94.