| Revision as of 03:53, 9 February 2003 editRadicalsubversiv (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users3,819 editsmNo edit summary← Previous edit | Revision as of 05:21, 13 February 2003 edit undoHephaestos (talk | contribs)22,414 editsm fixing links etc.Next edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| '''Woodrow Wilson Guthrie''' (], ] - ], ]), known almost universally as "Woody", was a ] and raconteur who wrote some of ]'s best loved songs. He is best known for "This Land is Your Land", a protest song written in response to ]'s "God Bless America." This song has become one of the most frequently performed patriotic songs, having lost its protest element. | '''Woodrow Wilson Guthrie''' (], ] - ], ]), known almost universally as "Woody", was a ] and raconteur who wrote some of ]'s best loved songs. He is best known for "This Land is Your Land", a protest song written in response to ]'s "God Bless America." This song has become one of the most frequently performed patriotic songs, having lost its protest element. | ||
| Guthrie was born in Okemah, |
Guthrie was born in ], on July 14, 1912, the year ] was elected ]. At a young age he left home to adopt an itinerant lifestyle, travelling across the ] as the ] turned into the ]. The poverty he saw on these early trips affected him greatly, and many of his songs are concerned with the inequities faced by America's working men and women. A lifelong ] and ]ist, he also contributed a regular article, ''Woody Sez'', to the ''Daily Worker''. | ||
| In ] he achieved fame in California as a radio performer of both traditional ] and his ]s. His interest in the working class was also shown in the specially commissioned songs he wrote at this time for the Bonneville Power Authority in ], the best known of which are ''Grand Coulee Dam'' and "Roll On Columbia," and his "Ballad of Tom Joad" based on ]'s film of ]. | In ] he achieved fame in ] as a ] performer of both traditional ] and his ]s. His interest in the working class was also shown in the specially commissioned songs he wrote at this time for the Bonneville Power Authority in ], the best known of which are ''Grand Coulee Dam'' and "Roll On Columbia," and his "Ballad of Tom Joad" based on ]'s film of ]. | ||
| With the outbreak of ] Guthrie, a devout anti-] |
With the outbreak of ] Guthrie, a devout anti-]—he often played with the slogan "This Machine Kills Fascists" written on his guitar—joined the Merchant Marine, where he served with fellow folk singer Cisco Houston. He also wrote the first volume of his autobiography "Bound for Glory". | ||
| By the ] his output had fallen off, and he was diagnosed as suffering from the degenerative nervous disorder ], and hospitalised, where he remained until his death on ], ]. By that time his work had been discovered by a new audience, introduced to him through ], who described Guthrie as "my last hero". | By the ] his output had fallen off, and he was diagnosed as suffering from the degenerative nervous disorder ], and hospitalised, where he remained until his death on ], ]. By that time his work had been discovered by a new audience, introduced to him through ], who described Guthrie as "my last hero". | ||
Revision as of 05:21, 13 February 2003
Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (July 14, 1912 - October 3, 1967), known almost universally as "Woody", was a folk singer and raconteur who wrote some of America's best loved songs. He is best known for "This Land is Your Land", a protest song written in response to Irving Berlin's "God Bless America." This song has become one of the most frequently performed patriotic songs, having lost its protest element.
Guthrie was born in Okemah, Oklahoma, on July 14, 1912, the year his namesake was elected President. At a young age he left home to adopt an itinerant lifestyle, travelling across the United States as the Jazz Age turned into the Great Depression. The poverty he saw on these early trips affected him greatly, and many of his songs are concerned with the inequities faced by America's working men and women. A lifelong socialist and trade unionist, he also contributed a regular article, Woody Sez, to the Daily Worker.
In 1935 he achieved fame in California as a radio performer of both traditional folk music and his protest songs. His interest in the working class was also shown in the specially commissioned songs he wrote at this time for the Bonneville Power Authority in Washington State, the best known of which are Grand Coulee Dam and "Roll On Columbia," and his "Ballad of Tom Joad" based on John Ford's film of The Grapes of Wrath.
With the outbreak of World War II Guthrie, a devout anti-fascist—he often played with the slogan "This Machine Kills Fascists" written on his guitar—joined the Merchant Marine, where he served with fellow folk singer Cisco Houston. He also wrote the first volume of his autobiography "Bound for Glory".
By the 1950s his output had fallen off, and he was diagnosed as suffering from the degenerative nervous disorder Huntington's chorea, and hospitalised, where he remained until his death on October 3, 1967. By that time his work had been discovered by a new audience, introduced to him through Bob Dylan, who described Guthrie as "my last hero".
His son Arlo Guthrie has achieved some success as a singer as well.
In 1998, Woody's daughter Nora approached the British singer Billy Bragg about recording lyrics her father had composed in the later years of his life. After researching the lyrics at the Woody Guthrie Archive in New York City, Bragg worked with the band Wilco to record 40 tracks, a number of which were released on the album Mermaid Avenue, followed by Mermaid Avenue II. (The Mermaid Avenue title is a reference to the Guthrie's home on Coney Island.)