A rail-thin New York radical who loved folk music, Pete Seeger loathed the business side and stuck by his principles, influencing younger stars like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Bruce Springsteen. Dubbed "America's tuning fork" by poet Carl Sandburg, the bald and bearded banjo-playing tenor brought a feast of material to US musical culture. "My job is to show folks there's a lot of good music in this world and if used right it may help save the planet," The New York Times quoted Seeger as saying.