The folk singing group, The Weavers, were banned from NBC and the Jack Paar Show when they refused to sign a loyalty oath disavowing the Communist Party.
The Weavers were big in the folk-singing revival era of the 1950s. It is said that without the Weavers, there would be no Bob Dylan and no Peter, Paul and Mary. Their records sold in the millions. But when it came to light they were pacifists who agreed with the pro-labor sympathies of the Communist party, their popularity dropped like hot lead.
The group was put under FBI surveillance, lost their recording contract and were called to testify at McCarthy’s House of Un-American Activities Committee.
They made a small comeback in the early 1960s but nowhere near the level they enjoyed prior. When asked by NBC to sign the oath, every member of the group refused.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCSTqYLfP5A
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