Portal:Oklahoma/Selected Biography/3



Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (July 14, 1912–October 3, 1967) was a prolific American folk musician. He described himself in one of his songs as "The Great Historical Bum", a firsthand observer and survivor of the economic and environmental hardships of the Dust Bowl, which shook the Great Plains states during the Great Depression. Guthrie's body of music consists of hundreds of songs, ballads and improvised works. The breadth of his song topics ranged from political and traditional songs to children's songs. Guthrie performed constantly throughout his life; his guitar frequently sported the slogan "This Machine Kills Fascists". He is perhaps best known for his song "This Land Is Your Land". Many of his songs are archived in recordings in the Library of Congress and some such as "This Land" are regularly sung in US schools. He occasionally had regular radio shows and was a founding member of The Almanac Singers. (Read more...)