Tribute to Woody

Subject: Tribute to Woody
From: JamesJim
Date: 04 Oct 00 - 11:31 PM

Woody died at age 55 on this date in 1967. What can anyone say that hasn't been said? His life and music benefited us all.

Jim

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: The Shambles
Date: 05 Oct 00 - 01:28 AM

Broken Okie.

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: catspaw49
Date: 05 Oct 00 - 09:08 AM

Thanks for the thread. We've had so many discussions about Woody and his life........Do you wonder what folk would have been like without him? Would someone else have filled the role? Makes for a fun game, but I'm grateful for what he gave us at whatever expense to his personal life.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: mrs_zezam
Date: 05 Oct 00 - 10:53 AM

some notes from a 1967 memorial album (Everest Records):

... Woody Guthrie is one of America's greatest writers. He saw many great and sad things in this country of ours and what he saw he put into music. Woody said "I make up a ballad song or more every going-coming day." His close friend Cisco Houston said "Woody is a man who writes two or three ballads before breakfast every morning."

Woody came out of hard times; led a life filled with personal tragedy; and yet his songs are filled with hope. He traveled all over this land, and wherever he went he made music. He had the ability to identify with the ordinary man and woman, speak their language without using the fancy words. He wasn't polite at all, he would cuss and shock people, and he was going to stay the way he was. He wasn't going to let "money men" make him slick. His abrupt honesty cost him many jobs. Pete Seeger says, "Well, that's Woody for you. He didn't always pay his bills, and he made life hard for his family and friends sometimes -- always traveling, itching heels, ants in his pants -- but Lord, Lord, he turned out song after song after song...."


2¢ from Mrs. Z: looking for some Woody lyrics last week led me to discover this amazing website.

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: Lonesome EJ
Date: 05 Oct 00 - 12:52 PM

Campfire

The people were bone tired, and their truck was low on gas when they saw the campfire down in some sage bushes and Maple trees along the creek. The man pulled the pickup over and turned to his wife."Let me check it out first." The door squeaked on it's hinges, waking up the two kids who were slumped against their Mother."Where are we, Momma?" said a small voice, thick with the drawl of West Texas. She only patted his shoulder and shooshed him.

Silhouetted against the glow of the fire were two men. One, heavy set, stood looking toward the man. The other crouched by the fire, pushing a battered coffee pot onto the coals with a stick."Howdy," said the man. The two by the fire were silent a second, then one said "How do? Can we do somethin for ya, stranger?" The man shuffled uncertainly."We're travelin, me n' my wife. Thought we'd just camp down the river a ways. Thought I'd say howdy first." The thin man stood upright, dusting the knees of his coveralls off, then strode up to the man." Y'all eat yet?" said the lanky man, now standing close enough for the man to see his big smile."We got some coffee, butter beans and bread. Heck stay for dinner! That okay with you, Huddie?" The other man approached, a large, husky black man. The stranger saw that he held a battered guitar."You bet," said the black man." You bring your wife and kids down, camp with us. We just workin folk doin some travelin ourselves."

The lanky man turned to the boy, sitting on the bank of the stream."You wanna try?" He held the hickory fish-pole over to the boy."Cause I ain't doin no good." The boy took the pole. Behind them, the muffled voices of the others drifted from the camp, along with the clink of an iron skillet, the crack of a branch broken for the fire." Gather round me children, a story I will tell." The man said very softly, then softly sang "bout Pretty Boy Floyd the Outlaw, Oklahoma knew him well..."The boy smiled. "I heard that one before. Where'd you learn it?" The man laughed a little." I made it up. Hey, your gettin a bite." The boy jerked the line."Easy!" said the man, but the catfish was on good, and the boy brought him in."Hot dog! Fish for breakfast!" said the skinny fellow as the walked back to the fire."Did you really?" said the boy. "Did I what, son?" The boy looked up at the gaunt stranger with the friendly blue eyes and dusty dark hair curled on his forehead."Really make up that Pretty Boy Floyd song?" The man laughed and put his big hand on the boy's shoulder."You bet, son. You bet I did."

After dinner, the boy and his sister drifted off to sleep to the sound of the grown folks talking by the fire. The boy woke up sometime later, the 3/4 moon shining on his face. He thought at first the music was part of a dream, the dream where his family had come at last to that green valley that his Dad was always talking about. In the middle of the valley was a house, their house, the house they had lost to the dust in Comanche County. But then he remembered the road, and the camp by the river, and he knew that the song was sung quietly by the two strangers as they sat by the dying campfire coals. He had never heard the song before, but he knew he would never forget it.

This land is your land This land is my land From California to the New York Island From the Redwood forest to the gulf stream waters This land was made for you and me

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: Art Thieme
Date: 05 Oct 00 - 02:02 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: catspaw49
Date: 05 Oct 00 - 02:12 PM

That was a nice touch Leej.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: Mrrzy
Date: 05 Oct 00 - 02:15 PM

Lovely!

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: Dave (the ancient mariner)
Date: 05 Oct 00 - 04:17 PM

I sang Pretty Boy Floyd on hearme last night, fine song. Yours, Aye. Dave

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: JamesJim
Date: 06 Oct 00 - 02:12 PM

Thanks Lonesome EJ - Woody was common and at the same time great. JIm

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: Amos
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 01:37 PM

Leej,

You are the man; you have it in the blood to sing and turn phrases as well as Woody, as well as Bob, as well as any Carter. You make those funny little ASCII characters sing like Willie and dance like Bo Jangles. Thanks for the many beautiful lines you have added to my life.

Amos

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: Frankham
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 01:49 PM

One of the things that should be said here is that both Alan Lomax and Pete Seeger had a whole lot to do with the popularity of Woody. Alan employed him to write songs for the TVA Grand Coulee Dam Project subsidized by the Library of Congress (Federal Money). It might have been one of Woody's first high profile gigs. Pete Seeger has been a one-man PR firm for Leadbelly, Woody, Sonny Terry, and many others. Woody benefitted tremendously by Pete's untiring efforts in his behalf.

Frank

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: Little Hawk
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 04:18 PM

"I...I just don't know what I'm going to do...my wife won't talk to me, my kids are...it's like I'm from another planet. My business affairs are in a complete mess, and I haven't heard from my agent in 3 months! The last thing I heard he had taken up Zen or something like that and he wasn't taking any calls even from his mother! I can't imagine how a man can get himself into a state like that. Do you think I would refuse a call from my own mother??? I mean, there are times, of course, when I might put my mother on hold, but I would be bound to get back to her eventually. I'm not a total schmuck, after all. I just don't know what's wrong with people these days. This guy I've known for years...years I tell you...he comes up to me the other day and says "Jeet?" What the hell is that supposed to mean? If you want to talk to me use English, for God's sake! This is New York City, not Somaliland. On top of all that, my analyst has now decided that I am "seriously disturbed"...those were his very words..."seriously disturbed". Well, of course I'm seriously disturbed! He has consumed at least $250,000 of my hard-earned salary in the last 5 years, and I have nothing to show for it! In fact, I believe I'm less emotionally healthy now than I was at the beginning of the whole thing. I am thinking about suing him for malpractice. He has devastated my bank account, ruined my intimate relationships, and turned my life into low comedy. His kind should be exterminated at birth in the interests of maintaining some semblance of cultural integrity in this country...."

Oh, sorry...I thought it was a tribute to Woody Allen.

Lonesome EJ - beautiful story that captures the very spirit of Guthrie. Bravo!

We have a town not far south of Orillia, Ontario that is named Guthrie. It's a very small place on the highway, a hamlet, I guess you would say.

I also spent the earliest part of my life (to age 10) living at a crossroads called "Zimmerman" in southern Ontario near Milton. How about that, eh?

LH

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: flattop
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 05:46 PM

I heard Dylan singing Woody's Mrs. Roosevelt this afternoon.

Dear Mrs. Roosevelt, don't hang your head to cry:
His mortal clay is laid away, but his good work fills the sky;
The world was lucky to see him born.


Woody, a protest singer, could be very positive. Wouldn't it be great if we could all sing about at least one politician, 'The world was lucky to see him born.'
(The lyrics are on Digital Tradition.)

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: Little Hawk
Date: 07 Oct 00 - 07:53 PM

Well, I am very glad that Pierre Trudeau was born, even though I didn't agree with all his policies. Maybe I will sing about him one of these days. I think we were lucky to have him.

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: Art Thieme
Date: 10 Oct 00 - 07:26 PM

The crossroads named Zimmerman is where Dylan sold his soles (from MR.TAMBOURINE MAN) to the devil.

Art

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: The Shambles
Date: 10 Oct 00 - 08:28 PM

When you wear out the soles of your shoes, just think of it as getting back on your feet.........

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: LR Mole
Date: 11 Oct 00 - 10:14 AM

...because it's time for your bootheels to be wanderin...

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: The Shambles
Date: 06 Feb 02 - 07:02 PM

I had forgotten LEJ's piece here. Good to remember it.

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: The Shambles
Date: 07 Feb 02 - 03:57 AM

One of the things that should be said here is that both Alan Lomax and Pete Seeger had a whole lot to do with the popularity of Woody. Alan employed him to write songs for the TVA Grand Coulee Dam Project subsidized by the Library of Congress (Federal Money). It might have been one of Woody's first high profile gigs. Pete Seeger has been a one-man PR firm for Leadbelly, Woody, Sonny Terry, and many others. Woody benefitted tremendously by Pete's untiring efforts in his behalf.

Frank

What does this Frank know about it, was he there?

*Smiles*

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: The Shambles
Date: 07 Feb 02 - 05:36 AM

How odd Mean talking Blues has been refreshed also and contains more from Frank. Thanks Rick.

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: The Shambles
Date: 07 Feb 02 - 05:40 AM

Well yes those also but more correctly thanks Mark.

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: The Shambles
Date: 07 Feb 02 - 05:42 AM

Mean Talking Blues Sorry about all that. Not awake yet obviously.

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: The Shambles
Date: 07 Feb 02 - 11:11 AM

Odd indeed. In the UK BBC TV is showing a programme on BBC2 tonight at 09.50 about Huntington's disease. It follows the Day family, who are struggling to come to terms with the inherited degenerative condition of the brain and nervous system that Woody and his family had to struggle with.

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: 53
Date: 07 Feb 02 - 11:06 PM

He really didn't do anything for me, kinda boring.

Subject: RE: Tribute to Woody
From: GUEST,Seth from China (now usa)
Date: 08 Feb 02 - 01:24 PM

The Washington State Historical Museum in Tacoma just closed a nice exhibition about Woody and his contributions to music and culture in Washington State. They had two huge portrait of Woody on the building, one facing what used to be Tacoma's skid row, and the other facing the old rail yards. It was nice to see Chairman Woodys's image displayed so boldly and for six months,at least. seth