IN THE NEWS
Last updated January 20, 2012 CHECK OUT NORA'S NEWS - NORA'S NEWS
Beyond the Roaming and Rambling, The Sensitive Side of Woody Guthrie
Review of Jonatha Brooke at Lincoln Center's Great American Songbook by Stephen Holden / NY Times
Jonatha Brooke, left, singing with Dar Williams, center, and Eric Bazilian at the Allen Room
“I never dread the day that I will die/Because my sunset is somebody's morning sky,” Woody Guthrie wrote in his journal on April 17, 1942. More than six decades later those words became the bridge in “My Battle,” an unpublished Guthrie lyric set to music by the folk-rock singer-songwriter Jonatha Brooke and recorded on her 2008 album, “The Works.” That record was the focus of Ms. Brooke's 90-minute Lincoln Center American Songbook show, in celebration of Guthrie's centennial, in the Allen Room on Wednesday night.
This year, this land with be Woody Guthrie's
by Randy Lewis / LA Times
The Grammy Museum plans 'Woody at 100' events to honor what would have been Woody Guthrie's milestone birthday. His music speaks to the Occupy protesters of today.
The colorful life and rich musical legacy of Woody Guthrie, widely considered America's greatest folk troubadour and songwriter, will be celebrated throughout 2012 in an expansive nationwide series of all-star concerts, previously unissued recordings, conferences, museum exhibitions and educational programs marking the 100th anniversary of Guthrie's birth.
Wisconsin marching band plays Union Maid By Dave Zirin and Alexander Billet / The Nation
One of the bands from Wisconsin, the Pulaski High School “Red Raiders,” abruptly interrupted their own performance of “On Wisconsin” and on live TV, and played a far different tune. It was the classic Woody Guthrie anthem for labor and women’s rights, “Union Maid.”
Woody Guthrie Tribute Album Hosts
Will Johnson, Jay Farrar, Jim James & Anders Parker
Legendary folk musician Woody Guthrie would have turned 100 years old in 2012, and to honor his memory The Grammy Museum is teaming up with both the Guthrie family and The Woody Guthrie Archives to host a number of Centennial celebration events spread across the year.
One of these celebrations is a collaborative tribute album, which was recorded by a quartet of great musicians: Will Johnson of Centro-Matic, Jay Farrar of Son Volt, Anders Parker of Varnaline, and Jim James from My Morning Jacket (who went by his pseudonym Yim Yames for this project).
Woody, Jesus and Occupy Wall Street Read the article/ by Shane Claiborne
Voices of Oklahoma Feature on Woody Guthrie Nora Guthrie shares her reflections of her famous father in this interview recorded Oct. 7, 2010. Click here to listen
Wilco performs "California Stars" with
special guests Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion
Guthrie Documentary Rolls On Back in 1941, famed folk singer Woody Guthrie lived in Portland for about a month, but he generated some of his most memorable songs, including "Roll on, Columbia."
Later this month, 70 years later, a documentary film about Guthrie's time in Oregon will be brought to the big screen. "Roll on Columbia: Woody Guthrie and the Columbia River Songs" will be premiered at 6:30 p.m. April 26 at the McMenamin's Edgefield Pub, 2126 S.W. Halsey St., Troutdale.
Steve Waksman Wins 2010 Woody Guthrie Book Award
Given by U.S. branch of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music.
The Woody Guthrie Book Award committee, which was comprised of Anahid Kassabian (University of Liverpool),
David Brackett (McGill University) and David Shumway (Carnegie Mellon University), considered 22 books for the
award that recognizes the most distinguished English language monograph in popular music studies published during 2009.
Woody Guthrie performs for the NY Public Libraries Employees Union
Check out this flyer announcing a show that Woody Guthrie & His Headline Singers (Leadbelly, Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry) performed for the New York Public Libraries Employees Union in 1943. The first and only known documented performance from Woody Guthrie & His Headline Singers.
March 5, 1943. Concert Programs.
Courtesy of the Woody Guthrie Archives.
Wisconsin Librarians March to the beat of "This Land Is Your Land" A third librarians' march took place on March 12 during what has been a month of daily protests at Wisconsin's State Capitol. Library staff and supporters gathered at Madison Public Library's Central Library and marched to Capitol Square singing Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land," followed by chants of "Librarians! United! Will never be divided!"
"The Life, Music and Thought of Woody Guthrie: A Critical Appraisal" Release date 3/22/2011
‘Making excellent use of material from the Woody Guthrie Foundation and Archives in New York, this book
examines Woody’s image, his songwriting, his politics and his friendships. In the process, a few myths are
questioned and some new dimensions of his life and work are revealed. The result is a welcome portrait
of Woody as a twentieth century figure with much to offer to the twenty-first. The book serves as an excellent
introduction to Guthrie’s work as well as providing unexpected perspectives even for those of us who
thought we knew all about him.’ – Dave Laing, Institute of Popular Music, University of Liverpool, UK
"This Land Is Your Land" Still Endures and Inspires After 71 Years By Dave Sutor | February 22, 2011
Alone and feeling kinda down, while staying in a grungy New York City hotel called Hanover House, iconoclastic folksinger Woody Guthrie took a simple sheet of loose-leaf paper and uneventfully wrote
down words that have grown into some of the most timeless lyrics ever penned about the American experience on Feb. 23, 1940.
He originally called the song "God Blessed America," but quickly scratched out that title and renamed it "This Land Was Made for You & Me." At the bottom of the page, he jotted down, "all you can write is what you see," and signed it "Woody G."
"This Land Is Your Land" - Tom Morello in Wisconsin February 21, 2011 - Tom Morello, Tim McIlrath, Wayne Kramer, Tom Cabel, and Mike McColgan et al. perform "This Land Is Your Land" in front of the WI State Capitol during the Rally for Wisconsin's Workers in Madison, Wis. on Feb. 21, 2011, in support of public employees whose collective bargaining rights are threatened by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's proposed budget repair bill.
American Icons - "This Land Is Your Land" Radio program on Studio 360 | WNYC
"This Land Is Your Land" - This isn't poetry; it's journalism. - Nora Guthrie
All of America sings it at school and summer camp; Bruce Springsteen sang it at President Obama's inauguration. Yet Woody Guthrie's song was once called anti-American, even Communist. Pete Seeger explains how Guthrie wrote it as a sarcastic response to "God Bless America"; soul singer Sharon Jones tells us what the song means to her as a descendant of slaves. Leftist, environmentalist, nationalist, or patriotic - "This Land" allows everyone to sing it their way.
Lonnie Donnegan Band records "Vigilante Man"
Lonnie Donegan's son, Peter Donegan and his band, Lonnie Donnegan Band, open their new album with Woody's "Vigilante Man". Click here to read more
U.S. Olympics snowboards to "I'm Shipping Up To Boston"
(Interview excerpt with Dropkick Murphys)
"I'm Shipping Up to Boston" has clearly been one of the vehicles that has increased the Murphys' exposure over the past five years. The song is a constant presence at the Boston Garden, it was a huge part of the Red Sox championship season (pitcher Jonathan Papelbon took the mound with "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" as his soundtrack; he and the Murphys performed it on a float in the championship parade), and it was recently certified platinum.
"If you'd asked me five years ago, 'Do you think you'll ever have anything gold or platinum?,' I would have said, 'Aside from something in my mouth, no,'" Barr says with a laugh. "Then to have Seth Westcott snowboard to us and one of the U.S. ski team skiing to us. There's always some new thing happening with that song. It's crazy."
HBO special "The People Speak"
An HBO documentary, "The People Speak" inspired by Howard Zinn's books, "A People's History" and "Voices of a People's History", features two Woody Guthrie songs; Do Re Mi performed by Bob Dylan, Van Dyke Parks and Ry Cooder and This Land Is Your Land performed by Bruce Springsteen. Click here to read more
"This Land" featured in "Up In The Air" film
Six-time Academy Award nominated film, Up In The Air, opens with a funky, contemporary cover of Woody Guthrie's working-class American classic "This Land Is Your Land" by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, setting the story into motion. Says director, Jason Reitman, "It's a really lovely soulful entrance to the journey of this film about the American landscape." Click here for information on Up In The Air
Oscar Brand turns 90!
Oscar Brand's program every Saturday at WNYC. Oscar Brand's Folksong Festival is broadcast every Saturday, 10pm-11pm (Eastern Time), on WNYC-AM820 in New York City and can be heard live worldwide in streaming audio: www.wnyc.org
Channel 4 video on Guthrie Masters
After an amazing discovery in a New York basement, lost Woody Guthrie masters are being released...Read more and see the video at the Channel 4 website.
MSN Feature on My Dusty Road
"Woody Guthrie's Mystery Masters. A trove of newly discovered recordings brings new focus to the iconic troubadour's legacy..." read the full article here.
Woody Makes Top 400
The NYC400 is the first-ever list of New York City's ultimate movers and shakers since the City's founding-from politics, the arts, business, sports, science, and entertainment...More Info here.
New Guinness World Record!
6,000 People Play "This Land Is Your Land" at Red Rock, Colorado.
Doug Grinberg/Flickr
World's Largest Music Lesson at Red Rocks. Swallow Hill Music Association, Denver Film Society and Red Rocks host an audience of 6,607, breaking the Guinness World Record for the largest music lesson. Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison, Colorado, USA. Audio from the event can be heard here.
Lonni Donegan - "Grand Coulee Dam"
Skiffle King Lonnie Donegan and his group in 1957, playing Woody Guthrie's song Grand Coulee Dam.
"This Land is Your Land"
A song Woody Guthrie wrote in response to Irving Berlin's more commercially patriotic "God Bless America," has been voted the number one essential folk song by 3,200 listeners to FolkAlley.com.
Tribute to Pete Seeger at MSG in NYC
TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/GETTY
On a rain-soaked night, more than 15,000 people turned out at Madison Square Garden to salute the man who wrote or co-wrote some of the most influential political anthems of the last 60 years, including "If I Had a Hammer," "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," and "Turn, Turn, Turn (To Everything There is a Season)."
The roster of A-list performers -- including Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Arlo Guthrie, Emmylou Harris, John Mellencamp, Kris Kristofferson, Joan Baez and others -- also included appearances by Tim Robbins, Norman Lear and Ruby Dee, and a happy birthday message to Seeger from President Obama.
Woody Welcomes Obama!
Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen and Tao Rodriguez lead the country singing
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND at the We Are One Obama Inauguration Celebration!
Photo: Mandel Ngan / AFP / Getty Images
"At the conclusion of today's concert for President-elect Barack Obama, 89-year-old Pete Seeger joined Bruce Springsteen for a sing-along with perhaps half a million people of Woody Guthrie's 'This Land Is Your Land,' which I dare say practically everyone in the country knows from childhood. But sly old Pete, who actually hoboed with Woody during the Depression and Dust Bowl, had the crowd sing the song as it was actually written, as not only a celebration of this great land, but as a demand for workers' and people's rights."
Jonatha Brooke has just completed a new album of Woody's unpublished lyrics from the Archives. This is a very significant project. For the first time ever a woman has composed, arranged, produced and performed a complete album of Woody Guthrie songs. The gods must be shaking their heads, " 'bout time!" - Nora Guthrie
This Land Is Your Land A Concert Tribute to Woody Guthrie & John Steinbeck
SHERYL CROW with THE BLACK KEYS, CAT POWER, SON VOLT,
MIKE NESS, HENRY ROLLINS, SARAH LEE GUTHRIE & JOHNNY IRION September 20, 2008
Photographs and copyright Stephanie Scott Images.
"Variations on a Song by Woody Guthrie"
Composed by David Amram
David Amram premiered his new orchestral suite Variations on a Song by Woody Guthrie with the Symphony Silicon Valley Orchestra with two performances on September 29th and October 1st . Conducted by Paul Polivnick, the premier celebrated the opening of the orchestra's new season and took place at the beautifully restored historic California Theater in downtown San Jose. The theater was packed! The symphony is currently being scheduled for performances with numerous orchestras throughout the country as well as a studio recording. We'll keep you posted!
M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" deftly connects Woody Guthrie's "Deportee"and
influence with M.I.A.'s hit single. Click here to read the article.
World renowned geneticist Michael Hayden named Canada's "researcher of the year". A close friend and colleague of Marjorie Guthrie's in Huntington's Disease research. Click here to read complete article.
Culture plays countermelody at new Grammy Museum - Walls are dotted with iconic objects: Bob Dylan's first guitar, the only known Woody Guthrie guitar, Seeger's banjo... Read the complete article
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