Woody Guthrie in Okemah, Oklahoma

Woody Guthrie in Okemah, Oklahoma. Great American Music Story. Woodrow Wilson “Woody” Guthrie, composer of “This Land is Your Land” and known around the world as “The Dustbowl Balladeer,” was born in Okemah, Oklahoma on July 14, 1912. His parents, Charley and Nora Belle Guthrie, raised their five children here , Clara, Roy, Woody, George and Mary Jo , until the ravages of family misfortunes caused the family to relocate. Woody’s childhood experiences in Okemah would go on to influence his creativity and shape his sense of purpose. His autobiography, “Bound for Glory,” depicts his early years in Okemah. Writing over 3,000 songs in his lifetime, Guthrie’s lyrics exposed the hardships experienced by the thousands of families forced to migrate following the dust storms of the mid 1930’s, as well as the Great Depression, workers rights, civil rights, and the great promise of American Democracy. His songs have run around the world like a fast train on a well-oiled track, and have become the folk song standards of the nation. They are known and performed in many languages around the world. His iconic classics , among them “Pastures of Plenty,” “Tom Joad,” “I Ain’t Got No Home,” So Long, It’s Been Good to Know You,” “Vigilante Man,” “The Great Dust Storm,” “Dust Bowl Refugee,” “Deportee,” and “Pretty Boy Floyd” , all tell the story of people’s hardships as well as their hopes., Woody Guthrie is considered by many to be the father of American folk music. In addition to bringing rural roots music to urban audiences, he popularized a new approach to songwriting. Topics such as social injustice, historic events, and political issues would become the foundation for musical creativity and expression. His influence has unprecedented reach, inspiring generations of musicians in every genre of music throughout the decades. Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, John Lennon, The Clash, Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Jackson Browne, and hundreds of others around the world were all influenced by the legacy of Woody Guthrie., Presented to the Town of Okemah, Oklahoma , home of the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival , on March 10, 2012, in the year of Woody Guthrie’s centennial, by the Grammy Museum and the Woody Guthrie family, in appreciation of their tremendous efforts to preserve this great American music story for generations to come.