Almanac Singers Vs Weavers

The Almanac Singers and the Weavers both created social protesting music, but because the Weavers created newly composed music, they were able to transform folk music into popular music. The Almanac Singers was a folk music group created in New York City, Greenwich Village from 1940-43. The core members were Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Lee Hays and Millard Lampell. Many of their songs sent messages of anti-war, labor and anti-discrimination movements. The group was later disbanded in 1943 because they were considered a communist during a World War II FBI investigation against them for performing international folk music, which was considered communist inspired. The Weavers, revolutionary, were created in 1948 by the former Almanac members themselves

During a 1941 performance, Almanac member Pete Seeger sang “Talking Union.” The song had a serious and angry tone to it and he also spoke the lyrics, thus putting attention on the union movement rather than the songs melody. The Miner Strike during 1931 gained support from their song “Which Side Are You On?” The group continued using music as a protest element during the Labor Movements in the 1930s with, “Roll the Union On.” The Weavers similarly, wrote many well-known anti-war such as,” Wasn’t That a Time?” and “If I Had a Hammer.” As well as influencing people with their music, both groups were created in Greenwich Village, New York City. Greenwich was the birthplace of the singers who raised political and social changes. Likewise, both groups used it as a place to perform, listen to other folk musicians and discuss political events. This made them both surrounded by the same style of music.

Nevertheless, the Weavers were more successful in making folk music transform to mainstream American music than the Almanac Singers. Despite their different approaches to composing songs, both continued to influence their audience on unjust movements and events in history. The Almanac singers were the descendants of social protest music, whereas the Weavers made themselves the repertory of it. The Weavers success best led the road for future singers like Harry Belafonte and the Kingston Trio to continue the acceptance of social protest folk music as