The Smithsonian Institution and the Woody Guthrie Archives
are teaming up to present a travelling exhibit of Woody Guthrie's
drawings, song lyrics, notebooks, manuscripts, diaries, and photographs.
For more information, read a press release
or check out the Smithsonian's web
pages.
The U.S. Postal Service has issued a Woody Guthrie stamp
to commemorate the life and legacy of the folksinging legend who died of
Huntington's Disease in 1967.
To mark the occasion of the Woody Guthrie stamp, the Huntington's Disease
Society of America (HDSA) has produced a limited edition commemorative
first day cover. Hand cancelled on the first day of issue, this
collector's item showcases the stamp and features a full-color portrait of
Woody and a biosketch on the back flap. This limited edition first day
cover can be yours for a $50 donation to HDSA.
For a $100 donation, your first day cover will be mounted, framed and
personally signed by a member of the Guthrie family.
All proceeds support HDSA's research and care programs. For ordering
information, call the Huntington's Disease Society of America at
800-345-HDSA ext. 12 or email curehd@idt.net.
See the official
festival page to be sure you get the most recent information.
The Woody Guthrie Coalition and the Orphanage Society,
Inc. are holding a birthday concert and folk arts festival in honor of
Woody in his home town of Okemah Oklahoma.
The concert will be on July 14th, Woody's birthday, and will feature Billy
Bragg and Ellis Paul. It will be held in the Crystal Theatre, on a stage
that Woody has performed on. Admission will be $1.
For the festival on July 17-19, there will be two days of
free concerts and an unveiling of a statue of Woody. Confirmed
performers are Kevin Welch, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Peter Keane, Jimmy LaFave,
The Red Dirt Rangers, Bob Childers, Ellis Paul, Tom Paxton, and Arlo
Guthrie.
The US Postal Service has issued Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Josh White, and
Sonny Terry postage stamps as part of their "Legends of American Music"
series. You can view the
stamps online and read about the
new stamps and the release celebration.
Billy Bragg and Wilco have produced an album of unreleased
(and half-unwritten!) Woody Guthrie songs. The album is named Mermaid
Avenue, after the Coney Island street Woody lived on for years. The songs
are all ones for which Woody wrote lyrics but no music, so Bragg and Wilco
have created arrangements. The album features distinguished guest artists
such as Natalie Merchant, Eliza Carthy, and Corey Harris.
Hard Travelin': The Asch Recordings, Vol. 3 has been released from
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. It is the 3rd in a 4 volume set of
unreleased songs that Woody recorded with Moses Asch. Visit the page at
Smithsonian Folkways to learn more about the album or to order it.
Nora Guthrie at the Woody Guthrie Archives is collaborating with the
Smithsonian to create a traveling Woody Guthrie exhibit. You can read about it on
the Smithsonian's pages.
On Sunday, October 26, at the Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa, OK the Woody
Guthrie Coalition presented a "celebration of the life and works of
Oklahoma's native son, Woody Guthrie." It included readings from his
works and music by a variety of groups, including Barbara Crumb (from New
York City), Zero Skills (from Austin) and the following Oklahoma
Musicians: Red Dirt Rangers, Bob Childers, Medicine Show, Whirligig, Tom
Skinner, Larry Arnett, Brandon Jenkins, Freakshow, Tribe of Souls and
Double Not Spyz. Each entertainer/group sang 3 to 5 songs and had to do
at least one of Woody's songs.
Admission was $8 with the money going to the Woody Guthrie Memorial
Association, a group that plans to construct a Woody Guthrie Memorial,
rebuild and preserve his home, and establish a Woody Guthrie scholarship.
Woody's sister, Mary Jo, was there and stayed for the entire show, getting
many autographs and signing many of them herself. The "sound-bite" for
the evening was "Read More Woody" and the catch-phrase for the show was
"This Program Is Morally Good."
Bill McCloud at Pryor Jr High (Pryor, OK) provided this report.
The November issue of Mojo Magazine (#48) has an excellent piece on Woody
Guthrie. It is ten pages long and offers some great photos, and it
provides an account of both Woody's life and Nora Guthrie's current plans
for Woody's work (Including a Billy Bragg/Wilco album of songs for which
Woody never wrote music!)
Muleskinner Blues: The Asch Recordings Vol. 2 has been
released by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. It is the second in a 4
volume set of songs that Woody recorded with Moses Asch. The disc
contains primarily "covers" of old folk songs.
Huntington's Disease Society of America (HDSA) has been working with Nora
Guthrie organizing the 1st Annual Guthrie Awards Dinner to benefit the
Woody and Marjorie Guthrie Research Fund to find a cure for Huntington's
Disease.
What: Guthrie Awards Dinner to benefit the HDSA's Woody & Marjorie Guthrie
Research Fund.
When: Thursday, October 16, 1997
Where: The New York Marriott Marquis
Time: Reception 6:00pm, Dinner 7:00pm.
Award Recipients:
The Woody Guthrie Award - Given to an individual in the entertainment
industry who exemplifies Woody Guthrie's social activism and a personal
commitment to the visions and hopes of people. Inaugural award to ARLO
GUTHRIE.
The Marjorie Guthrie Leadership Award - Given to a corporate leader who
has demonstrated, in business and personal life, humanitarian concerns for
the health and well-being of people. Inaugural award to NORMAN BARHAM,
President of Johnson & Higgins Int.
The Guthrie Family Humanitarian Award - Given to a researcher or medical
leader who has demonstrated, through compassion and dedication, a concern
for the care and support of people with HD and their families. Inaugural
award to DR. ANNE YOUNG, Julieanne Dorn Professor of Neurology, Harvard
Medical School.
Tickets & Tables: $350 per ticket, $3,500 and up for a table of 10.
A special program honoring Woody and Marjorie Guthrie, the Guthrie Awards
Recipients, and HDSA's 30th Anniversary will be printed for the evening.
Messages may be purchased for the journal:
Name listing: Any donation
For further information, please contact:
The Guthrie Awards Dinner
This Land is Your Land: The Asch Recordings Vol. 1 has been
released by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. It is the first in a 4
volume set of songs that Woody recorded with Moses Asch. In my opinion,
this CD is the best single disc of Woody Guthrie recordings available.
You can check out a song listing on the discography page. Vol. 2 will contain
recordings of Woody doing older folk music. Vol. 3 will be similar to
Vol. 1, containing more of Woody's own work and more topical songs. Vol.
4 will be a collection of cowboy songs. Within the next week or so, I
will post the tentative song lists for volumes 2-4.
Arlo Guthrie with special guest accompanist Abe Guthrie
Woody Guthrie, Inc. sponsors an annual memorial tribute to
Woody Guthrie. Also of interest is a musical sculpture in Pampa, TX. It
is 145 feet long, 10 feet high, and has the complete chorus to "This Land
is Your Land."
As part of it's first anniversary celebration, the Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame held a tribute to Woody Guthrie in September, culminating in a
day-long seminar and a concert which included performances by Billy
Bragg,Pete Seeger, Ani DiFranco, Arlo Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen, and the
Indigo Girls. Here's a review from a local newspaper.
Woody Day was held on Monday, Sept. 2 9:00 AM-5:00 PM,
coinciding with the Chautauqua, a special event in Central Park.
Rob Guthrie-Colo., Dan Bern-Calif., Frank Simpson-Wis., Pat Stewart-
St. Lo., are a few of the artist who performed.
Hopefully, I'll soon be able to post some real follow up info on this, but
I don't have any quite yet :)
"Songs For Political Action" may well be the most important collection of
folk music
ever assembled. The 10 compact disc box set contains nearly 300 songs recorded
from 1926 to 1953. The complete works of the Almanac Singers and many rare and
unissued tracks of Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, Earl Robinson and other legendary
Peoples Songsters are among the many highlights of this comprehensive set. From
the only known recordings of Charles and Ruth Seeger to soundtruck recordings made
for the 1948 Henry Wallace presidential campaign, this collection will be the
definitive reference for this era in folk music history. A beautifully done hard
bound book, with photos and lyrics for all the songs accompanies the 10 disc set.
The price for the disc and book set is $215 postpaid from Puritan Records, Box 44,
Battle Ground IN 47920.
Pete
Seeger's new album titled "Pete"
was released on April 16th. It is on the Living Music label and it was
produced by musician Paul Winter. The eighteen songs on the compact disc,
all newly recorded, include new ones
such as "Huddie Ledbetter," as well as old favorites like "Kisses
Sweeter Than Wine." The compact disc is
available from: Living Music Records, P.O. Box 72, Litchfield, CT 06759.
The phone number is 800-437-2281.
1st Annual Woody Guthrie Folk Arts Festival - July 17-19, 1998
Half Page: $250
Full Page: $400 and up.
140 West 22nd Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10011
212-242-1968 (voice), 212-243-2443 (fax)
Email: mcqueenj@hdsa.ttisms.com
7:00 pm Saturday January 18, 1997
M.K. Brown Auditorium, 1000 N. Sumner, Pampa, TX
Tickets $12.50 per person
Tickets may be ordered through Thelma Bray, Chairman of Woody Guthrie,
Inc., a non-profit organization:
1305 Hamilton
or e-mail request to timman@swweb.net
Pampa, Texas 79065
phone: 806-665-1180
Check it out.
If you attended the events and would like to submit any thoughts,
reviews, or experiences to this web site, just send them on in.
(these are Jim Capaldi's thoughts on the collection - I
haven't heard it yet).
