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Pete Seeger's history of 'We Shall Overcome'

Pete Seeger's adaptation of "We Shall Overcome" became the defining song of the Civil Rights Era, providing a rallying cry throughout the quest for equality.

In 2006, Seeger, who died Monday at 94, talked about the origins of the old spiritual he helped popularize.

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Though no one knows who wrote the original song, a version Seegeer began performing in 1947. One of his key changes was changing the chorus from "We Will Overcome" to "We Shall Overcome."
"I think I liked a more open sound; 'We will' has alliteration to it, but 'We shall' opens the mouth wider; the 'i' in 'will' is not an easy vowel to sing well," he wrote in the 1993 book "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?: A Singer's Stories, Songs, Seeds, Robberies."

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In 1957, he performed the song for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and it soon became a staple at Civil Rights rallies. It was sung by 50,000 people at King's funeral.