Pete Seeger, the 10th stamp in the Postal Service’s Music Icons series, was dedicated July 21 at the Jane Pickens Theater in Newport, RI.
The dedication preceded a concert, “For Pete’s Sake,” which helped kick off the Newport Folk Festival — an event the honoree helped found.
“The Postal Service is pleased to present our new Music Icons stamp honoring Pete Seeger, a man who inspired countless musicians and millions of fans around the world,” said Tom Foti, USPS product solutions vice president, who helped dedicate the stamp.
“He was not only a champion of traditional American music, he was also celebrated as a unifying power by promoting a variety of causes, such as civil rights, workers’ rights, social justice, the peace movement and protecting the environment,” he said.
Joining Foti at the ceremony were members of Seeger’s family; Chris Funk, music director of the “For Pete’s Sake” concert; and banjo player Béla Fleck, who performed the national anthem.
The stamp’s image is a black-and-white photograph taken in the early 1960s by Seeger’s son Dan and color-tinted by Kristen Monthei. Antonio Alcalá served as art director.
“It is an honor to see a photo of my father I’d taken some 60 years ago become this wonderful Forever stamp,” Dan Seeger said.
“My dad did most of his correspondence by hand — written letters — and I can imagine him smiling and of course appreciating this great honor because he relied on the U.S. Mail with its simplicity and honesty, knowing that thoughts and ideas can go from the sender over a tremendous expanse to a single receiver and get delivered.”
The Pete Seeger stamp is issued in sets of 16, on a pane designed to look like a vintage 45-rpm record sleeve.
The Forever stamp is available for purchase at Post Offices and on usps.com.
