The Weavers

The Weavers, an American folk group, began in 1947 and consisted of Ronnie Gilbert, Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, Fred Hellerman, and often Erik Darling. The name came from an 1892 drama of the same name by Gerhart Hauptmann. They inspired the commercial "folk boom" that followed them in the 1950s and 1960s, including such acts as The Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul and Mary.The group's first big hit was in 1949 with Leadbelly's Goodnight Irene, backed with the 1941 Israeli song Tzena, Tzena, Tzena.