Happy 100th Birthday Woody Guthrie

13 Jul 2012

Tomorrow is the centenary of folk legend Woody Guthrie. Born in Oklahoma on 14th July 1912, Woody discovered music at a young age. He formed his first band in Texas before hitting the road to California to find work. This journey provided the inspiration for his Dust Bowl Ballads, and led to a lifelong identification with the displaced.

'A folk song is what's wrong and how to fix it, or it could be, who's hungry and where their mouth is, or, who's broke and where the money is, or, who's carrying a gun and where the peace is.' - Woody Guthrie

His songs and social commentary found him fame, first on the radio and then, in New York, where he recorded throughout the 1940s. In his lifetime, Guthrie travelled across the US, served in World War II, wrote 3 novels (and a wealth of unpublished material) and fathered 8 children, including musician Arlo Guthrie.

Woody Guthrie helped establish folk music as a genre, laying the foundations for future generations. Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, The Greenbriar Boys and Phil Ochs visited Woody in the hospital before his death on October 3, 1967, and continue his legacy today.