I loved Woody. I used to pick with him when I was a kid.
He owes a lot to the Carter Family, not too shabby themselves. He owes a lot to Pete Seeger who promoted him and publicized him when only a handful of people knew about him. It maybe that in his respec Pete was a greater influence on folk music but that turns into one of those damned "whose the greatest" threads again.
Woody was a great songwriter. So is Jean Ritchie who in my estimation is as good in a similar way. Evocative, descriptive writing, specific and to the point with brilliant economy and a humanitarian viewpoint. (Why is it we always throw bouquets at the ones who have left the planet?) Merle Travis is another one. Dark As A Dungeon says more about the heartbreak of coal mining then many other songs.
But where is Woody now that we need him? We need a fearless songwriter to comment politically on what's going on in this country who is as great a writer as Woody. Tom Lehrer, where are you? Tom Paxton, we have you.
These comments are a slippery-slope that leads into songwriting critique.