Whale sounds from Bermuda inspired late folk singer Seegar
Created: Jan 29, 2014 07:00 AM (Updated: Jan 29, 2014 07:01 AM)
US folk singer Pete Seegar, who has died at 94, drew inspiration from the sounds of humpback whales recorded in Bermuda’s waters by the late Frank Watlington, for his recording ‘Song of the World’s Last Whale’.
Legendary US folk singer Pete Seeger — who penned a song inspired by Bermudian Frank Watlington — died this week at the age of 94.
Mr Seeger was best known for folk standards including ‘Where Have All the Flowers Gone?’, ‘If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)’ and ‘Turn, Turn, Turn’.
In 1970, he wrote and recorded ‘Song of the World’s Last Whale’, inspired by Mr Watlington’s recording of humpback whales off the coast of the Island — which itself had become a hit record that year.
Mr Seeger re-recorded his song for his Grammy-winning album ‘At 89’, which was released in 2008.
Inspiring: A humpback whale.
The St David's Lighthouse where in the 1960s Frank Watlington was based as a hydrophonics operator.
Although Frank Watlington recorded the first whale songs here in Bermuda, his degree and profession were in electrical engineering.
