If you’re on Arlonet regularly you likely received the mailing from Rising Son Records of 11/20/14 that assured “The Tradition Continues.” That tradition is, of course, the holiday concert at Carnegie Hall. Last night following Thanksgiving dinner, some of the family broke out the table games and some of us gathered around fireplace and the TV to have a cocktail or coffee and watch an old video recording of the Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie Together in Concert PBS special. The program was broadcast in 1978, but originated from a late summer 1977 concert taping with Shenandoah at Wolf Trap Farm Park, Vienna, Va. There was simply no way not to get misty-eyed. We all miss Pete Seeger.
After everyone had left for home, I started thinking about the Carnegie Hall holiday shows. They’ve been important touchstones in my life. I’ve spent, by my accounting, the last thirty-five Thanksgiving weekends at Carnegie Hall. As is our family tradition, my Mom, my wife and I, and our two daughters will be there tomorrow night. I know it’s been thirty-five years for me as I store all the old Carnegie Stagebills in a cardboard shoebox in the basement. Don’t know why I keep them, but I do. Looking around Carnegie each year, I’m sure there are people gathered who have attended many more holiday concerts than I.
I couldn’t sleep last night so I – insanely, I acknowledge - decided to try and piece together this informal history of the Seeger-Guthrie holiday concerts. I typed late into the early hours so if I have anything wrong here, please excuse any bleary-eyed mistakes and feel free to correct or add information. Early in the tradition, Seeger’s Carnegie concerts were not always necessarily scheduled around the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays.
But let’s get started…
Hank Reineke

The genesis of Harold Leventhal’s Carnegie Hall “Holiday Concert” concept was initially rooted to a series of concerts by the Weavers (Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, Lee Hays and Fred Hellerman) at New York City’s Town Hall on 43rd Street.

12/23/1950 – Pete Kameron and Harold Leventhal Present “A Holiday Concert: America’s Most Popular Folk Singers - The Weavers in a Program of Folk Songs of America and Other Lands (Town Hall).”
12/21/1951 - Pete Kameron and Harold Leventhal Present “America’s Most Popular Folk Singers - The Weavers: 2nd Annual Holiday Concert – Folk Songs Around the World (Town Hall).”
12/22/1951 - Pete Kameron and Harold Leventhal Present “America’s Most Popular Folk Singers - The Weavers: 2nd Annual Holiday Concert – Folk Songs Around the World (Town Hall).”
12/26/1952 - Pete Kameron and Harold Leventhal Present “America’s Most Popular Folk Singers - The Weavers: 3rd Annual Holiday Concert – Folk Songs Around the World (Town Hall).”
12/27/1952 - Pete Kameron and Harold Leventhal Present “America’s Most Popular Folk Singers - The Weavers: 3rd Annual Holiday Concert – Folk Songs Around the World (Town Hall).”

Due to the political winds of the time, the Weavers’ record label, Decca, infamously deleted the entirety of their recordings from the company catalog in 1953; subsequently there were no holiday concerts in 1953 or 1954. As Lee Hays famously said, the Weavers’ unanticipated sabbatical had turned into a “Mondical and a Tuesdical.”

The Weavers would return, triumphantly, to a New York stage – the stage at Carnegie Hall, no less – on Christmas eve of 1955. And here begins our chronology of Carnegie Hall Holiday concerts:

12/24/1955 – Folksay Artists Presents “The Weavers – Together Again: Holiday Concert.”
05/17/1956 – Harold Leventhal Presents “The Weavers at Carnegie Hall – Folk Songs from Many Nations.”
11/27/1957 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Pete Seeger and Sonny Terry in Concert.”
03/01/1958 – “Pete Seeger: Live and filmed Chapter Hall Show – Woody Guthrie, Burl Ives, Josh White Star in Great folk song films! Plus live concert.”
09/19/1958 – Sing Out! Productions Present “Folk Songs at Carnegie with Pete Seeger, Will Geer, Hally Wood, Bob Carey, Jerry Silverman and Others.”
12/23/1959 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Pete Seeger at Carnegie Hall: Folk Music Concert – Folk Songs Around the World with Guest Artist Robert Le House, African Dancer.”
12/17/1960 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Annual Holiday Concert – Pete Seeger at Carnegie Hall.”
12/23/1961 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Together for the First Time! Pete Seeger, Penny Seeger, and Mike Seeger with the New Lost City Ramblers.”
12/21/1962 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Old Time Folk Music with Pete Seeger, host, featuring Clarence Ashley and Friends, Doc Watson, Butch Gage and Willie Thomas.”

No Holiday Concert at Carnegie in 1963. Pete Seeger was in the midst of an international tour with his family in tow. He would not return to the U.S. until June of 1964. However, prior to embarking on his tour, Seeger had performed at Carnegie on June 8, 1963 (the legendary “We Shall Overcome” concert).

12/26/1964 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Pete Seeger in Concert.”

There was no holiday concert at Carnegie in 1965. On April 17, 1965, however, there was this program at New York’s Town Hall: Sing Out! Folksong Magazine Presents “Songs of, by, and from Woody Guthrie.” The program featured Pete Seeger, Logan English, Patrick Sky, Jolly Robinson, Brownie McGhee, and Arlo Guthrie. Later that year Pete Seeger was among the (many) performers at the “Sing-In for Peace! An All Night Singing Protest against the War in Vietnam” held at Carnegie Hall on September 24, 1965. In addition, Billboard magazine reported that “British folk star” Donovan would co-headline a Carnegie Hall concert with Pete Seeger on November 5, 1965, but I’ve been unable to corroborate this and it seems unlikely this event took place.

12/23/1966 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Pete Seeger in Concert.”
11/10/1967 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie in Concert.” This was Guthrie’s Carnegie debut.
12/23/1967 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Pete Seeger in Concert.”

01/20/68 – Harold Leventhal and the Guthrie Children’s Trust Fund Presents “The Woody Guthrie Memorial Concert with Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Judy Collins, Richie Havens, Bob Dylan, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Odetta, Tom Paxton, Robert Ryan and Will Geer.”
12/07/1968 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie in Concert.”

12/26/1969 – Changing things up a bit, Pete Seeger performed a solo concert at Carnegie Hall in the early spring of this year (04/12/1969). Though there doesn’t appear to have been a Seeger holiday concert this year, Arlo Guthrie (with John Pilla, guitar) performed as a soloist at Carnegie on Christmas weekend of 1969. Variety noted in their review of the show that Guthrie’s was performing in the slot usually reserved for “Pete Seeger’s annual Christmas concert.”

12/11/1970 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Pete Seeger in Concert”
11/27/1971 – Harold Leventhal Presents at Carnegie Hall “A Thanksgiving Holiday Concert: Pete Seeger and Rev. Fredrick Kirkpatrick.” Arlo Guthrie and the band Swampwater performed at Carnegie Hall earlier that year on March 31, 1971.

There does not appear to have been a holiday concert in 1972. But Seeger and Guthrie did perform in tandem at Carnegie Hall on July 7, 1972 at a multi-artist benefit for the Newport Folk Festival Foundation.

There does not appear to have been a holiday concert in 1973 as Pete Seeger had promised to take a temporary “sabbatical” from performing. But Seeger did sing several songs at the multi-artist “Salute to Paul Robeson” at Carnegie on April 15, 1973.

There does not appear to have been a holiday concert in 1974, but Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie performed the first of their “Together in Concert” dates at Carnegie Hall on March 8, 1974.

There does not appear to have been a holiday concert at Carnegie Hall in 1975. But Seeger and Guthrie performed in tandem earlier that summer (07/25/75) on Central Park’s Wollman Rink stage.

11/28/1976 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Pete Seeger in Concert.”
11/26/1977 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Pete Seeger in Concert.”
11/25/1978 - Harold Leventhal Presents “Pete Seeger in Concert.”
11/24/1979 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Pete Seeger in Concert.”
11/28/1980 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Pete Seeger and the Reunion of the Weavers.”
11/29/1980 - Harold Leventhal Presents “Pete Seeger and the Reunion of the Weavers.”
11/28/1981 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Pete Seeger & Arlo Guthrie with Shenandoah.”
11/27/1982 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Pete Seeger.”
11/26/1983 – Harold Leventhal in Association with the Highlander Center Presents: “Annual Holiday Concert - Pete Seeger and Jane Sapp.”
11/23/1984 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Pete Seeger in Concert”
11/24/1984 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Pete Seeger – Special Concert for Children.” (Saturday afternoon).
11/29/1985 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie in Concert”
11/30/1985 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie in Concert”

1986 – No Holiday Concert – Carnegie Hall closed for Construction Project

11/28/1987 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie in Concert” with Terence Hall, Daniel Velika, and Robert Williams (Assisting Musicians).
11/26/1988 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie in Concert.”
11/24/1989 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie in Concert.”
11/25/1989 - Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie in Concert.”
11/23/1990 - Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie.”
11/24/1990 - Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie.”
11/29/1991 - Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie in Concert.”
11/30/1991 - Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie in Concert.”
11/27/1992 - Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie in Concert.” (“Woody’s Grow Big Songs”)
11/28/1992 - Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie in Concert.” (“Woody’s Grow Big Songs”)
11/26/1993 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger: Together Again in Concert with Tao Rodriguez and Xavier.”
11/26/1993 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger: Together Again in Concert with Tao Rodriguez and Xavier.”
11/25/1994 - Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger – “More or Less Together Again” with Tao Rodriguez and Xavier.”
11/26/1994 - Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger – “More or Less Together Again” with Tao Rodriguez and Xavier.”
11/24/1995 - Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger with Tao Rodriguez and Abe Guthrie.”
11/25/1995 - Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger with Tao Rodriguez and Abe Guthrie.”
11/30/1996 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie in Concert with Abe Guthrie.”
11/29/1997 - Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie in Concert with Abe Guthrie (Keyboards).”
11/27/1998 - Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie Holiday Concerts with Special Guest Pete Seeger and Abe Guthrie, Sarah Lee Guthrie and Tao Rodriguez.”
11/28/1998 - Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie Holiday Concerts with Special Guest Pete Seeger and Abe Guthrie, Sarah Lee Guthrie and Tao Rodriguez.”
11/27/1999 - Harold Leventhal Presents “The Umteenth Annual Holiday Concert: Arlo Guthrie with Abe Guthrie, Sarah Lee Guthrie.”
11/25/2000 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie - Thanksgiving Holiday Concert with Sarah Lee Guthrie and Xavier.”
11/24/2001 – Arlo Guthrie with the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra.
11/30/2002 – Harold Leventhal Presents “Arlo Guthrie: Commemorating Woody Guthrie’s 90th Year with Pete Seeger, the Dillards, Sarah Lee Guthrie, the Mammals, Johnny Irion, and Abe Guthrie.”
11/29/2003 – “The Annual Holiday Concert: Arlo Guthrie - “A Tribute to Harold Leventhal” with Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, Fred Hellerman, Erik Darling, Peter, Paul and Mary, Theo Bikel, Leon Bibb, and Eric Weissberg.”
11/27/2004 – “The Annual Holiday Concert: Arlo Guthrie with Special Guest the Klezmatics and Abe Guthrie, Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion.”
11/26/2005 – “The Annual Holiday Concert: Arlo Guthrie with Abe Guthrie, Sarah Lee Guthrie, Johnny Irion, the Mammals and Gordon Titcomb.”
11/25/2006 - “Arlo Guthrie and the Guthrie Family.”
11/24/2007 - “The Annual Holiday Concert: Arlo Guthrie with the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra.”
11/29/2008 – “Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger with the Guthrie Family and Tao Rodriguez.”
11/28/2009 - “The Annual Holiday Concert: Arlo Guthrie – The Guthrie Family Rides Again.”
11/27/2010 – Rising Son Records Presents “Arlo Guthrie with the University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra.”
11/26/2011 – Rising Son Records Presents “Arlo Guthrie and Family.”
11/24/2012 – Rising Son Records Presents “Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger and the Guthrie Family Reunion.”
11/30/2013 – “Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger with the Guthrie Family.”
11/29/2014 – “Arlo Guthrie and the Guthrie Family.”

Hank... Thank's for this! There's a lot of memories here....

Wow, sounds like alot of good shows.

Wow!!

Yeah I have good knowledge about holiday concerts. These concerts are traditional. You know once I have attended some holiday events too. You know the concept of holiday events in NYC was quite similar to these ones.

Hoping to attend your concert at Carnegie Hall this year with my 2 children. They are enthusiastic about going, especially since I've told them of your funny, 'simpatico' stories and they're both great music-lovers, too. God bless you and ALL your loved-ones, Arlo Guthrie, till November!!...

Thanks dear for this post on “A Thumbnail History of the Holiday Concerts at Carnegie Hall”. I just loved reading about Holiday Concerts. You know I just love music events. On every weekend I visit the best live music bar nyc with my friends. I really enjoy over there.

Amazing legacy and longevity exhibited in that list! Wonderful!

Thanks for this list, Hank. I bet it brings back a lot of wonderful memories for a lot of fans!

There were Holiday Concerts at Carnegie Hall in 1963 and 1964. The tradition started with Pete and the Weavers was continued those years by the Chad Mitchell Trio who performed songs written by Pete, Woody and other folk music greats. My parents took my brother and I both years. Our family tradition will continue next January when my wife and I take our children and grandchildren to see Arlo here in Florida. To say that we miss Pete, Joe Frazier of the CM Trio and others who have passed is an understatement. Thanks Arlo for keeping the traditions alive and for allowing us to enjoy this great music with our grandchildren.

What a list, all the way from 1950! Hopefully I can get to one before I get too old.