Woody at 100

Musician Woody Guthrie

This month, musician Woody Guthrie would have turned 100. Though his music is probably not everyone's cup of tea, I don't care. I'm going to talk about him anyways. After all, this is my blog. Not yours.

Woody Guthrie was an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, best known for his political songs and traditional ballads. Guthrie also wrote many children's songs, and was capable of writing in almost any style.

During the Dust Bowl, Guthrie travelled from Oklahoma to California with a group of migrant workers, where he learned to play traditional folk and blues songs. As a result, many of his songs were about his experiences during the Dust Bowl era of the Great Depression. This earned him the nickname the "Dust Bowl Troubadour." In fact, if you know anything about Woody Guthrie, it's probably from studying John Steinbecks The Grapes of Wrath, a novel about a family of migrant workers traveling from Oklahoma to California during the Dust Bowl.

His best-known song is probably "This Land Is Your Land," which is often misinterpreted as an incredibly patriotic song.  Though it was about the beauty of traveling throughout the United States, Guthrie is quick to point out its downfalls.  In fact, before its release, Guthrie removed two verses from the famous song, verses 4 and 6. The verses read:

"There was a high wall there
That tried to stop me
A sign was painted that said "Private Property"
But on the other side it didn't say nothin'
That side was made for you and me"

"In the squares of the city
In the shadow of a steeple
By the relief office
I'd seen my people
As they stood there hungry
I stood there asking
Is this land made for you and me?"

A clear jab at what would be called the 1% today, the extra verses add another dimension to the song, steering it away from the sanitized version taught in schools today. In fact, the unedited version of the song became one of the anthems of the Occupy Wall Street movement.  Most of Guthrie's songs were incredibly political and he was often associated with the Communist party.  

Famous for regularly performing with the slogan "This Machine Kills Fascists" displayed on his guitar, Guthrie was also a member of the Almanac Singers, a folk-protest group. Initially, Guthrie helped write and sing what the Almanac Singers called "peace" songs. While the Nazi-Soviet Pact was in effect, the Communist line was that World War II was a capitalist fraud. However, after Hitler's invasion of the Soviet Union, the group wrote anti-fascist songs. The members of the Almanac Singers and residents of the Almanac House were a loosely defined group of musicians, though the 'core' members included Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Millard Lampell and Lee Hays. In keeping with common socialist ideals, meals, chores and rent at the Almanac House were shared.

The Almanac Singers

Sadly, by the late 1940's, Guthries health was deteriorating, and his behavior became extremely erratic. Eventually, he was diagnosed with Huntington's Disease, a genetic disorder he inherited from his mother. Guthrie's condition worsened, and he became increasingly unable to control his muscles. From 1956 to 1961 he was hospitalized at Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in New York, and was then transferred to Brooklyn State Hospital until 1966. Finally, he was moved to Creedmore Psychiatric Center until his death in 1967 at the age of 55.

Guthrie served as a figurehead during the American Folk Revival in the 1960's (which deserves an entire blog post of its own.) Folk revivalists were increasingly more aware of their political surroundings, and focused on issues of the times, such as the Civil Rights Movement and the Free Speech Movement.

Many folk revivalists grew to idolize Guthrie. One day, during his stay at Greystone, Guthrie was visited by a 19 year old Bob Dylan. After learning of Guthrie's whereabouts, Dylan visited him regularly.

Guthrie was said to have had his good days and his bad days. On the good days, Dylan would sing songs to him, and Guthrie seemed warm to Dylan. On the bad days, Guthrie would berate Dylan. Apparently, on Dylan's last visit, Guthrie did not recognize him at all.

Guthries illness was mostly untreated, due to the lack of information about the genetic disorder. However, his death helped raise awareness of the disease and led to the formation of the Huntington's Disease Society of America.

Dylan later went on to write a song in tribute of Guthrie, titled "Song to Woody."

Musicians such as Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Seeger, Joe Strummer, John Lennon, and Jeff Tweedy have all acknowledged Guthrie as a major influence.

Although most Americans today couldn't name more than few songs by Woody Guthrie, his influence is undeniable. Even if you have never heard of Woody Guthrie, I encourage you to listen to some of his music. Even if you don't like folk music. Guthrie is an important part of American musical history, and his legacy lives on today. 

I've decided to end my blog post with a little quote.  Guthrie could write a better conclusion than me.

"I hate a song that makes you think that you are not any good. I hate a song that makes you think that you are just born to lose. Bound to lose. No good to nobody. No good for nothing. Because you are too old or too young or too fat or too slim too ugly or too this or too that. Songs that run you down or poke fun at you on account of your bad luck or hard traveling.

I am out to fight those songs to my very last breath of air and my last drop of blood. I am out to sing songs that will prove to you that this is your world and that if it has hit you pretty hard and knocked you for a dozen loops, no matter what color, what size you are, how you are built.

I am out to sing the songs that make you take pride in yourself and in your work."

Guthrie on songwriting

Happy 100, Woody.