Peter "Pete" Seeger (born May 3, 1919) is an American folk singer, and a key figure in the mid-20th century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 50s as a member of The Weavers, most notably the 1950 recording of Leadbelly's "Goodnight, Irene" that topped the charts for 13 weeks in 1950. In the 1960s, he re-emerged on the public scene as a pioneer of protest music in support of international disarmament and civil rights and, more recently, as a tireless activist for environmental causes.As a song writer, he is best known as the author or co-author of "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", "If I Had a Hammer ", and "Turn, Turn, Turn!", which have been recorded by many artists both in and outside the folk revival movement and are still sung throughout the world. "Flowers" was a hit recording for The Kingston Trio, Marlene Dietrich, who recorded it in English, German and French, and Johnny Rivers . "If I Had a Hammer" was a hit for Peter, Paul & Mary and Trini Lopez, while The Byrds popularized "Turn, Turn, Turn!" in the mid-1960s, as did Judy Collins in 1964. Seeger was one of the folksingers most responsible for popularizing the spiritual "We Shall Overcome" that became the acknowledged anthem of the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement, soon after folk singer and activist Guy Carawan introduced it at the founding meeting of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1960.

Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman on May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter, author, poet and painter who has been a major figure in popular music for five decades. Much of Dylan's most celebrated work dates from the 1960s, when he became an informal chronicler and a reluctant figurehead of American unrest. A number of his songs, such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "The Times They Are a-Changin'", became anthems of both the civil rights movements and of the opposition to the Vietnam War. After a lifetime of writing, recording, and performing, Dylan's latest record—his 33rd studio album—Together Through Life was released on April 28, 2009. The album reached the number one spot on both the Billboard 200 chart of top selling albums, and the UK album charts in its first week of release. Dylan's early lyrics incorporated political, social, philosophical, and literary influences, defying existing pop music conventions and appealing widely to the counterculture. While expanding and personalizing musical styles, he has explored many traditions of American song, from folk, blues and country to gospel, rock and roll and rockabilly to English, Scottish and Irish folk music, and even jazz and swing. Dylan performs with the guitar, piano and harmonica. Backed by a changing line-up of musicians, he has toured steadily since the late 1980s on what has been dubbed the "Never Ending Tour". Although his accomplishments as performer and recording artist have been central to his career, his songwriting is generally regarded as his greatest contribution. Throughout his career, Dylan has won many awards for his songwriting, performing, and recording. His records have earned Grammy, Golden Globe, and Academy Awards, and he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2008, a "Cultural Pathway" was named in Dylan's honor in his birthplace, Duluth. In 2008, he was awarded a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation for his "profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power."

Holly Near (born June 6, 1949 in Ukiah, California) is an American singer-songwriter, teacher and social change activist.

Thomas Richard Paxton (born October 31, 1937) is an American folk singer and singer-songwriter who has been writing, performing and recording music for over forty years. In 2009, Paxton received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. His songs have experienced enduring appeal, including modern standards such as "The Last Thing on My Mind", "Bottle of Wine", "Whose Garden Was This?", "The Marvelous Toy", and "Ramblin' Boy". Paxton's songs have been recorded by Pete Seeger and The Weavers, Judy Collins, Joan Baez, Doc Watson, Harry Belafonte, Peter, Paul and Mary, The Kingston Trio, The Chad Mitchell Trio, John Denver, Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner, Willie Nelson, Flatt & Scruggs, The Fireballs, and many others . He has performed thousands of concerts around the world in such places as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, Scandinavia, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Holland, England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, and all over the United States; and his songs have been translated into various languages. Paxton enjoys a strong relationship with fans throughout the world. Tom Paxton's songs can be emotionally affective and cover a wide range of topics, from the serious and profound to the lighthearted and comical. "What Did You Learn in School Today?" mocks the way children are often taught lies. "Jimmy Newman" is the story of a dying soldier, and "My Son John" is a moving song about a soldier who comes back home and can't even begin to describe what he's been through. "Beau John" is a civil rights era song about taking a stand against racial injustice. "A Thousand Years" tells the chilling tale of Neo-Nazi uprising, and "Train for Auschwitz" is about the Holocaust. "On the Road to Srebrenica" is about Muslims who were killed in a 1995 massacre in Bosnia and Herzegovina. "The Bravest" is a song about the firefighters who gave their lives while trying to save others on September 11, 2001. Then there are Paxton's "short shelf life songs", which are topical songs about current events and things in the news. These songs can be lighthearted and comical, or serious depending on the situation, and they change all the time as new ones are written and old ones can reappear as things seem to have a way of cycling around in this world. They include: "In Florida", about the 2000 election scandal; "Without DeLay", a song about the former congressman; "Bobbitt", about the John and Lorena Bobbitt fiasco; "Little Bitty Gun", which lampoons Nancy Reagan; "I'm Changing My Name to Chrysler", about the controversial federal loan guarantee to Chrysler in 1979; "The Ballad of Spiro Agnew", and "Lyndon Johnson Told the Nation" .

Odetta Holmes, (December 31, 1930 – December 2, 2008), known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, songwriter, and a human rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire consisted largely of American folk music, blues, jazz, and spirituals. An important figure in the American folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s, she was influential musically and ideologically to many of the key figures of the folk-revival of that time, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Mavis Staples, and Janis Joplin.

Philip David Ochs was a U.S. protest singer and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice. He wrote hundreds of songs in the 1960s and released eight albums in his lifetime. Ochs performed at many political events, including anti-Vietnam War and civil rights rallies, student events, and organized labor events over the course of his career, in addition to many concert appearances at such venues as New York City's Town Hall and Carnegie Hall. Politically, Ochs described himself as a "left social democrat" who became an "early revolutionary" after the protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago led to a police riot, which had a profound effect on his state of mind. After years of prolific writing in the 1960s, Ochs's mental stability declined in the 1970s and eventually he succumbed to a number of problems including bipolar disorder and alcoholism, and he took his own life in 1976. Some of Ochs's major influences were Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Bob Gibson, Faron Young, Merle Haggard, John Wayne, and John F. Kennedy. His best-known songs include "I Ain't Marching Anymore", "Changes", "Crucifixion", "Draft Dodger Rag", "Love Me I'm a Liberal", "Outside of a Small Circle of Friends", "Power and the Glory", "There but for Fortune", and "The War Is Over".

William "Bill" James Edwards Lee III (born July 23 1928) is an American musician. He has played the bass for many artists including Aretha Franklin, Odetta and Bob Dylan. Lee was born in Snow Hill, Alabama, the son of Alberta G., a concert pianist, and Arnold W. Lee, a musician. He is the father of film director Spike Lee, photographer David Lee, actress Joie Lee, and filmmaker Cinqué Lee (born 1966) and has composed original music for many of his son's films, including She's Gotta Have It, School Daze, Do the Right Thing and Mo' Better Blues.

Bonnie Lynn Raitt (born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer-songwriter who was born in Burbank, California. Raitt is best known for her recordings of the songs "Nick of Time ", "Something to Talk About", "Love Sneaking Up on You", and the ballad "I Can't Make You Love Me." Raitt is also an avid political activist and has received nine Grammy Awards in her career.

Bruce "Utah" Duncan Phillips (May 15 1935 – May 23 2008) was a labor organizer, folk singer, storyteller, poet and the "Golden Voice of the Great Southwest". He described the struggles of labor unions and the power of direct action, self-identifying as an anarchist. He often promoted the Industrial Workers of the World in his music, actions, and words.

Amy Malkoff (born January 6, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter and musician based on the East Coast. Her music blends Acoustic, and Pop-Folk music. She started auditioning for musical theatre productions at age 5, and by age 15 was touring in semi-professional shows. She has an AB in music from Kenyon College with graduate studies at the New England Conservatory of Music. For seven years, she was half of the duo Raymond Gonzalez & Amy Malkoff, and during that time they produced two full length recordings, toured consistently, and were included on "When October Goes", among other compilations. In 1994, she founded the touring band Deadline Poet, which started out as an all-woman a cappella group, then a full band, and lastly a guitar/keyboard/vocal trio. The group disbanded in October of 2000, but not before producing several recordings, and appearing on a handful of compilations. In 2000, she launched her current group, All About Buford, an award-winning pop-funk band that seems to comfortably fit in that funny niche between a cappella and folk. Their performances consist of some songs done without instruments, and some with Amy playing guitar, but always with a dedicated beatboxer and lots of rich harmonies. All About Buford was the 2003 Boston Regional Harmony Sweepstakes champions and runners-up in 2002, and Amy was awarded "Best Original Song" in '03. They have also done formal showcases at both The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and The Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference (NERFA). They have one full length CD, "Supercar", one DVD project, "Deep", some single song recordings, and they appear on several compilation CDs.

Ani DiFranco (born Angela Maria DiFranco on September 23, 1970) is a Grammy Award-winning singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She is a prolific artist, having released over twenty albums and is widely celebrated as a feminist icon.

Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939 in Seattle, Washington) is an American folk and standards singer and songwriter,; for her eclectic tastes in the material she records; and for her social activism.

Bob Kulick is an American guitarist (best known for his studio work with Kiss) and Grammy Award-winning record producer. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he is the older brother of former Kiss lead guitarist Bruce Kulick, and was the one to suggest Kiss hire him.He has played on three Kiss albums, being Alive II, Killers and some minimal work on the following Creatures of the Night . He also played on Paul Stanley's 1978 solo album and on his 1989 solo tour. Bob was involved with a project called Skull, releasing one album, No Bones About It, in 1991. Bruce Kulick co-wrote one song and appeared as a guest guitarist on another track. In 1996 he released Murderer's Row with his band of the same name. This group included David Glen Eisley of "Giuffria" and "Dirty White Boy" on vocals. Bob Kulick has been a member of the Neverland Express, Meat Loaf's touring band, on and off for years, and has appeared on several Meat Loaf albums, most notably on 1984's "Bad Attitude". He also formed a band called Balance, with Peppy Castro, formerly of the Blues Magoos and Doug Katsaros, multi-platinum recording arranger and Broadway conductor. Balance had modest chart success in the early 1980s. Kulick has served in various side projects such as Blackthorne and Observation Balloon. He also produced Motu00F6rhead's Grammy Award-Winning Song, "Whiplash" - 2004's Best Metal Performance, produced and played guitar on the theme for WWE wrestler, Triple H and has earned 11 Platinum or Gold records working with Kiss and Diana Ross.In addition, Kulick played on the W.A.S.P. albums The Crimson Idol and Still Not Black Enough. He was only involved with the studio work and never toured with W.A.S.P. or became a member of the band. Kulick played rhythm and lead guitar on Michael Bolton's 1983 self-titled album. Kulick played guitar for Lou Reed on his Coney Island Baby record. Kulick also composed, produced and performed "Sweet Victory" with singer David Glen Eisley in the SpongeBob Squarepants episode "Band Geeks." The song further appears on SpongeBob SquarePants: The Yellow Album. Bob Kulick, has produced or co-produced multiple tribute and original concept albums including "Butchering the Beatles ~ A Headbashing Tribute", "Spin the Bottle ~ and All-Star Tribute to KISS", "One Way Street, A Tribute to Aerosmith", "An All Star Tribute to Shania Twain", "Welcome to the Nightmare: An All-Star Salute to Alice Cooper", "An All Star Tribute to Cher", "Stone Cold Queen: A Tribute", Kris Hadlock's "Your Wifes Rock Band" and others. Kulick and Chassen have just completed work on a heavy metal Christmas album entitled: "We Wish you a Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year" (2008) featuring a who's who of rock and roll royalty, including: Bruce Kulick, Ronnie James Dio, Alice Cooper, Tommy Shaw, Lemmy Kilmister, Dave Grohl, Vinny Appice, Chuck Billy and Billy F. Gibbons. The album was created in association with Black Ion Music, a company co-owned by Kulick and renowned talent manager, Wendy Dio.It is rumored that Bob Kulick once gave a young Jimi Hendrix a spare guitar string when Hendrix broke his during an audition in New York City. Kulick also made a appearance on Tim "Ripper" Owens Play My Game

Dar Williams (Dorothy Snowden Williams, born April 19, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter specializing in pop folk. She is a frequent performer at folk festivals and has toured with such artists as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Patty Griffin, Ani DiFranco, The Nields, Shawn Colvin, Girlyman, Joan Baez, and Catie Curtis.

John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 1940 - 8 December 1980) was an English rock musician, singer, and songwriter who gained worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles. Lennon along with Paul McCartney formed one of the most influential and successful songwriting partnerships and "wrote some of the most popular music in rock and roll history". Lennon revealed a rebellious nature and biting wit in his music, on film, in books, and at press conferences and interviews. He was controversial through his work as a peace activist and artist. After The Beatles, Lennon enjoyed a successful solo career with such acclaimed albums as John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and Imagine and iconic songs such as"Give Peace a Chance" and "Imagine". After a self-imposed "retirement" from 1976 to 1980, Lennon reemerged with a comeback album, Double Fantasy, which would win the 1981 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Less than one month after the release of the album, Lennon was murdered in New York City on 8 December 1980. In 2002, respondents to a BBC poll on the 100 Greatest Britons voted Lennon into eighth place. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Lennon number 38 on its list of "The Immortals: The Fifty Greatest Artists of All Time" and ranked The Beatles at number one. He was also ranked fifth greatest singer of all time by Rolling Stone in 2008. He was posthumously inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.