Sunday, May 6, 2012

Woody Guthrie was far more than dust in the wind

"Woody is just Woody. Thousands of people do not know he has any other name. He is just a voice and a guitar. He sings the songs of a people and I suspect that he is, in a way, that people. Harsh voiced and nasal ... there is nothing sweet about Woody, and there is nothing sweet about the songs he sings. But there is something more important for those who still listen. There is the will of a people to endure and fight against oppression. I think we call this the American spirit." John Steinbeck

All that survives of Woody Guthrie in performance are these two very brief clips. But every song that Woody wrote lives on. 

Woody performance clip
John Henry performed by Woody, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee
This Land is Your Land


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