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AMG BIOGRAPHY:
Woody Guthrie was the most important American folk music
artist of the first half of the 20th century. Coming out of
Oklahoma, Guthrie had firsthand knowledge of the dustbowl
diaspora chronicled in John Steinbeck's novel, The Grapes of
Wrath. In fact, Guthrie wrote his own version of the story in a
song called "Tom Joad." By the time he gained recognition in
the '40s, Guthrie had written hundreds of songs, many of
which remain folk standards to this day. When he was inter-
viewed by Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress in March
1940, Guthrie punctuated his reminiscences by singing "So
Long, It's Been Good to Know You," "Dust Bowl Blues," "Do-
Re-Mi," "Pretty Boy Floyd," "I Ain't Got No Home," and other
songs. He later wrote "Pastures of Plenty," "The Grand Coulee Dam," and his masterpiece, "This
Land Is Your Land." He was also an author (Bound for Glory) and a newspaper columnist.
Guthrie made some recordings for RCA in 1940, but much of his work was issued on the small
Folkways label. Meanwhile, in the late '40s and early '50s, versions of his songs became hits for
such artists as The Weavers. By then, Guthrie himself was in physical decline, suffering from
Huntington's chorea, a hereditary neurological disorder. But during his long illness, Guthrie's influ-
ence spread to the next generation, fostering the folk boom of the late '50s and early '60s. Not only
is Bob Dylan unimaginable without him, but large segments of popular music are permanently affect-
ed by his concerns as a songwriter and his approach to the form. Guthrie also composed a body of
children's music toward the end of his performing career in the early '50s, when he was raising a
family with his wife Marjorie. The songs, many sung from a child's point of view, have been covered
and performed extensively since. — William Ruhlmann
RELATED ARTISTS:
Similar Artists: Sara Carter, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Almanac Singers, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger,
Leadbelly, Arlo Guthrie, Fred Small, Utah Phillips
Roots and Influences: Will Rogers, Jimmie Rodgers, The Carter Family, Joe Hill
Followers: Jesse Fuller, The Maddox Brothers & Rose, Hazel Dickens, Bob Gibson, Arlo Guthrie,
Larry Long, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Gamble Rogers, Alix Dobkin, Phil Alvin, Billy Bragg, Donovan,
Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Stackabones, Mary Travers, Charlie King, Sarah Lee Guthrie, Peter
Stone Brown
Performed Songs By: Traditional, Alan Lomax, A.P. Carter, Lee Hays, Bob Miller, Cisco Houston,
Jimmie Davis, Leadbelly, Unknown, Marjorie Mazia-Guthrie, George Vaughn, Henry Whitter, Phil
Leadbetter, Goebel Reeves, Jimmie Rodgers, Percy Wenrich, Jack Mahoney, F.J. Lewey, Andrew
Jenkins
Worked With: Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Josh White, Frank Fuchs, Dalida, Bob Wills, Blind
Boy Fuller, Richard Weize, Annie Guthrie, Dan Velika, Richard Tiven, Johnny Parth, Harlan Howard,
Lee Hays, Sarah Lee Guthrie, Abraham Guthrie, John Culpo
Member Of: Almanac Singers
DISCOGRAPHY
1958 Nursery Days ....................................................................................................................................................................Smithsonian/Folkways
1958 Bound for Glory ................................................................................................................................................................Smithsonian/Folkways
1959 Talking Dust Bowl ............................................................................................................................................................Smithsonian/Folkways
1962 Woody Guthrie Sings Folk Songs ....................................................................................................................................Smithsonian/Folkways
1964 Dust Bowl Ballads [Rounder]..................................................................................................................................................................Rounder
1964 Woody Guthrie [Everest] ..........................................................................................................................................................................Everest
1964 One of a Kind ................................................................................................................................................................................................Pair
1964 Library of Congress Recordings, Vol. 1..................................................................................................................................................Rounder
1964 Woody Guthrie Sings Folk Songs, Vol .2 ..............................................................................................................................................Folkways
1964 Dust Bowl Ballads [Buddha] ....................................................................................................................................................................Buddha
1965 Woody Guthrie [Xtra] ....................................................................................................................................................................................Xtra
1973 Songs to Grow on ........................................................................................................................................................................................Extra
1976 Struggle ............................................................................................................................................................................Smithsonian/Folkways
1977 Songs from Bound to Glory ......................................................................................................................................................................Warner
1981 Poor Boy ........................................................................................................................................................................................................Xtra
1988 Library of Congress Recordings, Vol. 2..................................................................................................................................................Rounder
1988 Library of Congress Recordings, Vol. 3..................................................................................................................................................Rounder
1988 Sings Folksongs of Leadbelly ..........................................................................................................................................Smithsonian/Folkways
1988 Columbia River Collection ......................................................................................................................................................................Rounder
1991 Songs to Grow on for Mother and Child ..........................................................................................................................Smithsonian/Folkways
1992 Grow Big Songs........................................................................................................................................................................................Warner
1992 Grow Big Songs, Vol. 1 ............................................................................................................................................................................Warner
1992 Grow Big Songs, Vol. 2 ............................................................................................................................................................................Warner
1996 Folk Hero ............................................................................................................................................................................................Collector's
1996 Ballads of Sacco & Vanzetti..............................................................................................................................................Smithsonian/Folkways
1997 This Land Is Your Land ..........................................................................................................................................................................Rounder
Why, Oh, Why ..................................................................................................................................................................Smithsonian/Folkways
Chain Gangs ............................................................................................................................................................................................Stinson
Folk Songs................................................................................................................................................................................................Stinson
Songs to Grow on, Vol. 3: This Land Is My Land ............................................................................................................Smithsonian/Folkways
Cowboy Songs ........................................................................................................................................................................................Stinson
Ramblin' Jack Elliot ..................................................................................................................................................................................Monitor
The Science of Sound ......................................................................................................................................................Smithsonian/Folkways
We Ain't Down Yet! ....................................................................................................................................................................................Cream
DISCOGRAPHY (Videos)
2000 The Woody Guthrie Story ..........................................................................................................................................................Chrome Dreams
APPEARS ON:
Almanac Singers Their Complete General Recordings (1996) ........................................Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals
Almanac Singers Songs of Protest (2001)........................................................................................................Vocals
Country Joe McDonald Best of Country 1969-1975 (1969) ................................................................................Composer
Dalida Annees Barclay (1997) ..................................................................................................Composer
Dalida Jour le Plus Long (1998) ................................................................................................Composer
Ramblin' Jack Elliott Ballad of Ramblin' Jack (2000) ................................................................................Guitar, Vocals
Fuel Fossil Fuel (2000) ......................................................................................................Photography
Blind Boy Fuller & Sonny... Worried Man Blues (1937) ....................................................................................................Guitar
Blind Boy Fuller & Sonny... Harmonica & Guitar Blues 1937-1945 (1996) ......................................................................Guitar
Mickey Hart Spirit Into Sound (2000)................................................................................................Liner Notes
Cisco Houston Cisco Houston Sings the Songs of... (1963) ..................................................................Composer
Cisco Houston Cisco Houston & Woody Guthrie (1969) ..................................................................Guitar, Vocals
Cisco Houston Folkways Years 1944-1961 (1994) ..........................................................Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals
Wanda Jackson Tears Will Be the Chaser for Your... (1997) ....................................................................Composer
Leadbelly Good Mornin' Blues (1936-1940) (1969) ......................................Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part
Leadbelly Sings Folk Songs (1990) ..............................................................................................Liner Notes
Leadbelly Leadbelly Sings Folk Songs (1990)..............................................................................Liner Notes
Leadbelly Complete Works, Vol. 5 (1944-1946) (1994) ............................................................Guitar, Vocals
Leadbelly Bourgeois Blues: Lead Belly Legacy... (1997) ............................Mandolin, Vocals, Vocals (bckgr)
Leadbelly Shout On: Lead Belly Legacy, Vol.... (1998) ............................................Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals
Leadbelly Absolutely the Best (2000) ....................................................................................................Guitar
Alan Lomax Ballad Operas: The Martins & The... (2000) ........................................................................Guitar
Rose Maddox One Rose: The Capitol Years (1993) ............................................................................Composer
Peter Paul & Mary Peter, Paul & Mommy, Too [Video] (1993)......................................................................Composer
Sonny Terry American Blues Legend (1999) ............................................................................................Guitar
Sonny Terry Complete Works in Chronological... (2000) ..............................Banjo, Harmonica, Violin, Vocals,
Speech/Speaker/Speaking Part, Guitar (Baritone)
Hank Thompson Hank Thompson & His Brazos Valley... (1996) ..............................................................Composer
Josh White Southern Exposure (1999) ..............................................................................................Ensemble
Wally Whyton Children's Songs of Woody Guthrie (1997) ........................................................Multi Instruments
Various Artists Tribute to Woody Guthrie, Part 1 (1972) ..................................................................Guitar, Vocals
Various Artists Tribute to Woody Guthrie, Part 2 (1972) ..................................................................Guitar, Vocals
Various Artists Good Morning Blues (1990) ..............................................................................................Narrator
Various Artists Great Records of the Decade: 40's... (1990)..................................................................Composer
Various Artists Cowboy Songs from Folkways (1991)..................................................................................Vocals
Various Artists Smithsonian Collection of Folk... (1991) ........................................................................................
Various Artists Troubadours of the Folk Era, Vol.... (1992) ..........................................................................Vocals
Various Artists That's Why We're Marching: WWII... (1996)....................Guitar, Mandolin, Vocals, Choir, Chorus
Various Artists Children's Celebration of Folk... (1996) ..........................................................................................
Various Artists Songs for Political Action: Folk... (1996) ..........................Guitar, Harmonica, Vocals, Liner Notes
Various Artists Giants of the Folk Tradition, Vol. (1998) ..................................................................Guitar, Vocals
Various Artists Anglo-American Ballads, Vol. 1 (1999) ....................................................................Guitar, Vocals
Various Artists Hillbilly Jamboree [Arhoolie] (1999) ..................................................................................Arranger
Various Artists Nothing but the Blues [Import] (2000) ..................................................................................Guitar
Various Artists Bright Spaces (2001) ................................................................................................Guitar, Vocals
Various Artists Washington Square Memoirs: The... (2001) ........................................................................Vocals
Various Artists Daddy-O Daddy!: Rare Family Songs... (2001)............................................................Liner Notes
Various Artists Folk Go-Go
SONGS/TRACKS:
CREDITS:
Woody Guthrie............Harmonica, Mandolin, Vocals
Cisco Houston ....................Guitar, Harmony Vocals
Moses Asch ................................................Engineer
David Glasser ............................................Mastering
Lee Hays ..................................................................
Jeff Place............Liner Notes, Compilation Producer
Sonny Terry ..............................................Harmonica
Anthony Seeger................................Project Director
Guy Logsdon......Liner Notes, Compilation Producer
Michael Maloney ................Production Coordination
Mary Monseur ....................Production Coordination
Carla Borden ................................Editorial Assistant
Amy Horowitz ..................................Project Director
Pete Seeter ......................................................Banjo
Arthur Rothstein ....................................Photography
ALBUM RELEASES:
1998 CD Smithsonian/Folkways 40102
Track Song Title Time Album Artist Size Kind Bit Rate Year
1 of 27 Hard Travelin' 2:33 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie 1.8 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps 1947
2 of 27 Farmer-Labor Train 2:51 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie 2 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps Not available.
3 of 27 Howdjadoo (Unreleased alternate take) 1:42 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie 1.2 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps Not available.
4 of 27 Ship In the Sky 2:35 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie 1.8 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps 1944
5 of 27 I Ain't Got No Home In This World Anymore 2:46 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie 2 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps Not available.
6 of 27 Mean Talking Blues (unreleased alternate take) 3:47 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie 2.7 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps Not available.
7 of 27 Better World A-Comin' 3:06 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie/Cisco Houston 2.2 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps Not available.
8 of 27 Miss Pavlichenko 2:31 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie/Pete Seeger 1.8 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps 1948
9 of 27 So Long, It's Been Good To Know You (WWII Version) 2:47 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie/Cisco Houston 2 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps 1944
10 of 27 New Found Land 2:07 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie 1.5 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps 1947
11 of 27 Oregon Trail 2:47 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie 2 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps 1947
12 of 27 Vigilante Man 3:24 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie 2.4 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps Not available.
13 of 27 1913 Massacre 3:38 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie 2.5 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps 1945
14 of 27 Talking Columbia 2:30 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie 1.8 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps 1947
15 of 27 Two Good Men 3:49 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie 2.7 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps 1947
16 of 27 Sally, Don't You Grieve 2:25 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie/Cisco Houston 1.7 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps 1944
17 of 27 Talking Sailor (Talking Merchant Marine) 3:04 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie 2.2 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps 1944
18 of 27 What Are We Waiting On? 2:09 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie 1.5 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps 1944
19 of 27 Railroad Blues 3:16 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie 2.3 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps Not available.
20 of 27 Ludlow Massacre 3:31 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie 2.5 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps 1945
21 of 27 Ladies Auxiliary 2:12 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie 1.6 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps 1944
22 of 27 Miner's Song 2:12 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie 1.6 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps 1944
23 of 27 When The Yanks Go Marching In 2:48 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie/Cisco Houston/Sonny Terry 2 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps 1944
24 of 27 Union Maid (Excerpt) 0:45 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie/Lee Hays/Pete Seeger, et al 532.9 K Mono; MPEG 96 kbps 1946
25 of 27 Rubaiyat (Excerpt) [unissued] 3:43 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie/Cisco Houston 2.6 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps Not available.
26 of 27 The Many And The Few [previously unissued] 5:37 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie 3.9 MB Mono; MPEG 96 kbps 1949
27 of 27 Hanukkah Dance 1:25 Hard Travelin' (The Asch Recordings Vol. 3) Woody Guthrie 1,001.8 K Mono; MPEG 96 kbps 1949