In 1962, Pete Seeger was cleared of previous charges by the House Committee on Un-American Activities, who had claimed he was a communist a decade earlier. Newly un-blacklisted, Seeger took to the television airwaves in 1965 with a short-run television show called Rainbow Quest. Rainbow Quest was only viewable on seven stations, and it quickly ran out of money. On the show, Seeger interviewed a slew of folk and bluegrass artists who played a pertinent role in the 1960s folk music revival, as the revival was at the peak of its movement. He would also play songs with his guests.
Among the artists he interviewed on the show were June Carter and Johnny Cash, the New Lost City Ramblers, Doc Watson, Judy Collins, Buffy Saint Marie, and many others. If, like me, you're disappointed to have missed such an historical television series when it was on the air, don't worry. You can now purchase several episodes on DVD (buy now). Short excerpts from the show are also available on YouTube.
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