Woody Guthrie's unreleased recordings

Subject: Woody Guthrie's unreleased recordings
From: Doctor John
Date: 22 Apr 99 - 03:23 PM

According to the notes to the Bear Family's boxed CD set "Songs for Political Action", in the late 1940's Woody made some demo records for his music publisher, the Richmond Organisation. These remain unissued except for "I've Got To Know" which (according to the obscure reference) "surfaced under the end credits of Tim Robbin's 1992 Hollywood film Bob Roberts". Does anyone have any information about these recordings, the film or how the recording came to appear there? DrJohn

Subject: RE: Woody Guthrie's unreleased recordings
From: Frank of Toledo
Date: 22 Apr 99 - 08:30 PM

Dr John . I was trying to rearrange some of the old lps and I came across one entitled"The LIFE Treasury of American Folk Music" (1961) It has two Cisco Houston cuts "Drill Ye Tarriers Drill", and the "Erie Canal". It has two Woody Guthrie cuts "Billy the Kid" and "Hard Work". No liner notes whatsoever and no credit on any of the songs. Does that help?

Subject: RE: Woody Guthrie's unreleased recordings
From: Doctor John
Date: 28 Apr 99 - 02:42 PM

I've just discovered that Woody made recordings of over 200 songs for the Richmond Organization (TRO), this not being to Moe Ashe's liking as you might expect. They are house in the WG foundation in NYC, not the Smithsonian. Can't understand the reference to the film thought. DrJohn

Subject: RE: Woody Guthrie's unreleased recordings
From: EBarnacle1
Date: 04 Nov 02 - 03:09 PM

Billy Bragg has been working on many of Woody's unpublished lyrics. The "Mermaid Avenue" CD was the first of the series and is pretty good.

Subject: RE: Woody Guthrie's unreleased recordings
From: Mark Ross
Date: 05 Nov 02 - 12:18 PM

Tim Robbins father is Gil Robbins, a folksinger from the '60's. Gil played the minister in BOB ROBERTS. I guess Tim grew up with these songs as part of his genetic code. The film is a masterpiece. Too bad most people get up and don't stay for the credits because I tthought that using Woody's recording really tied everything together.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Woody Guthrie's unreleased recordings
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Nov 02 - 01:06 PM

I'm still looking for a recording of Woody singing "Deportees (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos Canyon)". I understand that Woody used to chant this song, and that there was no particular tune until Martin Hoffman wrote one in 1961 or so.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Woody Guthrie's unreleased recordings
From: Mr Red
Date: 05 Nov 02 - 05:06 PM

I was asked by a guy if I knew about Woody because he had what must have been a demo - shellac/aluminium sandwich sort thing with notes to the effect it was a woody recording. There were no dates and the location was close in to london - I know he visited Scotland and I think London. I will ask the guy what he did with the family curiosity.

Subject: RE: Woody Guthrie's unreleased recordings
From: GUEST,Hootenanny
Date: 19 Nov 03 - 10:41 AM

The shellac/aluminium sandwich record was probably a bootleg copy of a Folkways album. These were available in the UK (certainly in London) in the late 50's early 60's when it was not possible to import US recordings legitimately. My firt Guthrie album was of this type,a 10" 33.3 rpm disc with a hand written label "Sonny Terry Washboard Band". Terry of course recorded with Woody along with Brownie McGhee,as also did Leadbelly, Pops Foster etc.

Woody did indeed come to London probably 1945 and called in on the BBC and broadcast on the Children's Hour programme where he sang 3 or 4 songs. The conversation between Woody and one of our "plummy voiced" BBC ladies of the time is quite hilarious.

Subject: RE: Woody Guthrie's unreleased recordings
From: Mark Ross
Date: 19 Nov 03 - 01:35 PM

I've heard, via the grapevine that there is a recording of woody in conceert, and that the Guthrie Archives has plans to release it eventually.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: Woody Guthrie's unreleased recordings
From: pdq
Date: 30 Oct 10 - 06:53 PM

Gil Robbins was mentioned on this thread for being Tim Robbins father.

He was also a founding member of The Cumberland Three which included John Stewart.

Their "Songs of the Civil War" can be found in CD format and is a surprisingly nice and even record.

Odd that all of these Civil War era songs seem to have writer or arranger credit from Oscar Brand, John Stewart and Gil Rubin (Robbins was once Gilbert Rubin).

Subject: RE: Woody Guthrie's unreleased recordings
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 21 Aug 20 - 05:36 AM

Mr Red: I was asked by a guy if I knew about Woody because he had what must have been a demo - shellac/aluminium sandwich sort thing with notes to the effect it was a woody recording.

Portland, Oregon instead of London:
“I have about 12 of what seem to be 78rpm direct to disc recordings of Woody Guthrie from his time in Portland. They are on "Presto" discs with 3 holes in them and some have taped on labels while other have the song titles carved in the dead wax. I'm curious to learn more about what i might have here if anyone has ideas?”
Woody Guthrie Lost Bonneville Power Recordings Preservation
[member: Vinyl Archaeologist, Jul 20, 2017]

Lyr Req: Columbia River Collection (Woody Guthrie)

Subject: RE: Woody Guthrie's unreleased recordings
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 21 Aug 20 - 01:55 PM

Phil - Thanks, that was a very interesting read...

Subject: RE: Woody Guthrie's unreleased recordings
From: peteglasgow
Date: 22 Aug 20 - 05:44 AM

in Dylan's autobiography 'Chronicles' (which i'm rereading again) he tells the tale of when he was visiting Woody in hospital - he told him that he had a load of unreleased songs at his house in Brooklyn. according to Bob he walked across a swampy field to get there to find that Marge, Woody's wife, wasn't there and his son, Arlo , knew nothing about the recordings. Bob returned , unsuccessful, across the swampy field.

   'forty years later, these songs would fall into the hands of Billy Bragg and the group Wilco and they would put melodies to them , bring them to full life and record them. It was all done under the direction of Woody's daughter, Nora, these performers probably weren't even born when i had made that trip out to brooklyn' He sounds a bit sniffy here, though much of the first half of the book is full of his lively, interested and totally engaged young mind. i'm in the middle of the pressures of fame stage now...not so much fun