Woody Guthrie was born on July 14th, 1912 in Okemah, Oklahoma. Over the decades, his songs have run around the world like a fast train on a well-oiled track. They’ve become the folk song standards of the nation, known and performed in many languages throughout the world.
He wrote over 3,000 songs in his lifetime. Pastures of Plenty, Pretty Boy Floyd, Tom Joad, I Ain’t Got No Home, Hard Travelin’, Deportee, Oklahoma Hills, This Train Is Bound For Glory, Union Maid, Jesus Christ, Do Re Mi, Roll On Columbia, Vigilante Man, The Great Dust Storm, Dust Bowl Refugee, So Long It’s Been Good To Know Yuh, and his iconic This Land Is Your Land are among the hundreds by Woody that have become staples in the canon of American music.
First known as “the Dustbowl Balladeer”, his musical and compositional style has influenced two generations of the most significant contemporary songwriters in every genre, from folk, to rock, to punk – from Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, to the Clash.
Recognized for his monumental contributions and achievements in American culture, he has been the recipient of prestigious awards both from governmental departments and arts organizations including: the U.S. Department of the Interior, Conservation Service Award 1966, The National Songwriters’ Hall of Fame inductee 1970, The Nashville Songwriters’ Hall of Fame inductee 1977, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee 1988, The North American Folk Alliance Lifetime Achievement Award 1996, and The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award 1999. In 2012, to commemorate what would be Woody Guthrie’s centennial year, Woody Guthrie Publications and the GRAMMY Museum are collaborating on a year-long celebration - from California to the New York Island and across the pond - with gala concerts, exhibits, educational conferences, grassroots events, new publications, album releases and a centennial website; www.Woody100.com.