Seeger will donate banjo to Rock Hall

Seeger will donate banjo to Rock Hall

FISHKILL, N.Y. — Folk musician Pete Seeger has pulled his famous banjo from the eBay Internet auction site and intends to donate it to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland. The 90-year-old Hudson Valley, N.Y., resident had put the head section of the banjo up for auction with the intention of donating the proceeds to a nonprofit organization that plans to plant trees in Haiti. But Seeger says he’ll instead donate the item to the Hall of Fame and Museum, where the singer was inducted in 1996.

The banjo head, similar to a drum head, bears the words “This Machine Surrounds Hate and Forces It To Surrender.” Seeger played the banjo for decades but was told by R.J. Storm, who repairs his instruments, that the head needed to be replaced. Storm said bids reached $6,400 before it was removed from eBay.

‘Sanford’ producer dies

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Aaron Ruben, who produced such TV hits as “The Andy Griffith Show,” “Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C.” and “Sanford and Son,” has died. He was 95. His son, Tom Ruben, says the elder Ruben died Saturday at his Beverly Hills home from complications of pneumonia.

Aaron Ruben began his career after World War II as a comedy writer for radio shows featuring Milton Berle, Fred Allen and other stars. In the 1950s, he moved into television, writing for comedy shows and directing. He wrote for and produced “The Andy Griffith Show” for five seasons. He also wrote for and was the initial producer of the 1970s hit “Sanford and Son.”

Today’s birthdays

Singer Florence LaRue (Fifth Dimension) is 66. Alice Cooper is 62. Country singer Clint Black is 48. Singer Natalie Imbruglia is 35. Rapper Cam’ron is 34.