Woody Sez
Woody Guthrie artwork
~ FEBRUARY NEWS ~
head's up, there's a lot...
February 23rd marks the  79th anniversary of
"This Land Is Your Land"

This Land Is Your Land

Woody Guthrie wrote "This Land Is Your Land" on February 23, 1940 while staying at Hanover House, a boarding house on the corner of 43rd Street and 6th Avenue in New York City.

79 years later, a lot has happened!
FROM NORA GUTHRIE ~  It's fascinating to watch how "This Land is Your Land" has sparked artists to speak out on all fronts. For decades now, it has flowed through the veins of American battles for social, economic and political justice. Sometimes it is like a hymn, or a prayer. Sometimes like an anthem. And sometimes like a battle cry. But no matter what the tone, taking a line from Woody's song "Tom Joad" the song belongs "wherever people are fighting for their rights, that's where I'm gonna be." 
Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings
perform  "This Land Is Your Land" live

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - This Land is your Land (live)

AND  this is how, and where, Gary Clark Jr. is taking the fight now, with passion and grit...
coming February 22,  "This Land"

Gary Clark Jr - This Land [Official Music Video]

FROM GARY CLARK, JR. ~  "It's one of the first songs we learn and we sing it together," he says. "It's like the Pledge of Allegiance. And when you're kids, everybody's together. You don't see differences until you get older, and older people influence you to think about other people a certain way. I just want to get back to singing that song like we were kids again, you know? It's fucked up when people don't want to. There's a huge debate over the NFL and people taking a knee. It's lost what it's supposed to be because people got so offended and hurt by it personally that they don't want to understand what the message is. It's like, we want to be seen. We want to be respected. It's been too long, it's been too long. Our heroes and the people that we look up to, they either get murdered or exiled for trying to speak up and do the right thing for our people."
But, no one championed  "This Land Is Your Land"
as much as Pete Seeger
2019 marks Pete Seeger's centennial! To honor his birthday and the importance of his influence on Woody Guthrie, Nora Guthrie will be presenting a NEW multimedia program - with interviews, photographs, archival material, and music providing insight into the working relationship between Pete and Woody.

"WHAT PETE TAUGHT WOODY"
Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger
Presented by Nora Guthrie, a ll fees donated to Clearwater.

If you'd like to bring this program to your community, contact Anna Canoni. All program fees will be donated to the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater Inc., the non-profit organziation founded by Pete & Toshi Seeger.
Calling all scholars
Check out the Woody Guthrie Annual, an open-access peer-reviewed journal containing the most up-to-date scholarship on Woody Guthrie, his work and his cultural and political significance. 



In addition t he Woody Guthrie Annual  contains book and record reviews, news, and notices of relevant events. The journal is comprehensively indexed and archived in the appropriate online repositories.  Managing Editor: Will Kaufman, University of Central Lancashire
Upcoming Calendar
FEBRUARY 16 ~ 8:00PM
People's Voice Cafe  at the Community Church of New York, NYC
Did you know? 
2018 was the 75th Anniversary of Woody's autobiographical novel "Bound For Glory". Musicians  Charlie Maguire and Pop Wagner celebrated the its publication with programs in Minnesota throughout the year. Thanks guys

Bound For Glory
It's been 75 years...you haven't read it yet?
Get it here -  Bound For Glory
In the news...
Sculptor, Alen  LeQuire  has a new exhibit titled "Cultural Heroes" featuring seven busts of "musicians whose songs gave voice to campaigns for civil rights" with representations of Woody Guthrie, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Lead Belly, Paul Robeson, Marian Anderson and Josh White.

"With the Cultural Heroes series, I wanted to create larger-than-life portrait heads that would affect the viewer with their beauty and presence," states Sculptor Alan LeQuire. "I am interested in real people whose art succeeded despite obstacles. This early 20th Century group represents the great contributions of the artists who were the grandparents of the Civil Rights movement."

On exhibit Feb. 23 - May 5 at the  Clinton Presidential Center .

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Founded by Woody's wife, Marjorie Mazia Guthrie in 1967,  Huntington's Disease Society of America is the largest non-profit organization helping those affected by Huntington's Disease.  Learn more about how Marjorie started HDSA.

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Students at Bartlesville High School are looking to inspire their peers through art! The young artists were given the task of creating murals that were representational of all cultures and genres of famous people. One young artist, Mariah Snyder, chose Woody Guthrie because she grew up listening to Guthrie's music. Her mural is painted in the high school along with other figures of substantial cultural influence, such as Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King Jr. and others.  
 
We're thrilled to see  Woody's legacy of activism through song is going strong with today's youngins!  Read more here. 

 

2019 Calendar


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