Pete Seeger – a life in pictures

The folk singer and activist Pete Seeger, who popularised such songs as If I Had a Hammer and John Henry, has died at the age of 94 Photograph: Brian Shuel/Redferns via Getty Images

Seeger performs at an American Youth Council rally in 1940 Photograph: Arthur Rothstein/Corbis

Left to right: Woody Guthrie, Millard Lampell, Bess Lomax Hawes, Pete Seeger, Arthur Stern and Sis Cunningham perform as the Almanac Singers in early 1940s New York Photograph: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Seeger with his attorney Paul Ross in February 1952, after Harvey Matusow testified in front of the House of Un-American Activities Committee that the singer was a member of the Communist party Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis

Pete Seeger, left, with his folk group The Weavers – consisting of Lee Hayes, Fred Halterman, and Ronnie Gilbert – in 1952
Photograph: Everett Collection/Rex Features

Seeger, a banjo slung over his shoulder, arrives at a federal court in New York in 1961 with his wife Toshi. After his 12-month prison sentence was greeted by worldwide protests, the court of appeals ruled his indictment was faulty and dismissed the case Photograph: AP

Seeger conducts an instrument-making session on children's day at the Newport folk festival in1966 Photograph: AP

Seeger holds up a dove on his hat at a Times Square rally protesting about the Vietnam war in 1969 Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis

Seeger, left, performing at the rally for detente at Carnegie Hall in New York in 1975 Photograph: Richard Drew/AP

Bill Clinton awards the National Medal of the Arts to Seeger at a White House ceremony in 1994 Photograph: Wally McNamee/Corbis

Pete Seeger plays his banjo in 2006 after returning to the charts with the release of We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, featuring Bruce Springsteen's versions of standards performed by Seeger Photograph: Frank Franklin II/AP

Seeger with his older brother John Seeger, Arlo Guthrie and Tao Rodriguez-Seeger perform at the Clearwater Concert: Creating the Next Generation of Environmental Leaders, in New York 2009 in celebration of Pete Seeger's 90th birthday Photograph: Startraks Photo/REX

Seeger, 92, left, marching with nearly a thousand demonstrators sympathetic to the Occupy Wall Street protests for a brief acoustic concert in Columbus Circle in New York in 2011 Photograph: John Minchillo/AP

Seeger performing at the Bring Leonard Peltier Home concert, in New York in 2012. Peltier is an imprisoned native American activist
Photograph: Sipa USA/REX