Guthrie was introduced to the California area by Will Geer (remember Grandpa Walton?) who was a homosexual communist activist. These early years of folk music tradition set the stage for the mass 60's movement of folk literature. Seeger (a self-admitted communist) was a leader in Greenwich Village in the 60's when Peter, Paul, Mary, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell etc. took off. Amazing how it fits together.