100 Years Later, the Songs of Woody Guthrie Still Resonate

100 Years of Woody Guthrie

Woody Guthrie was born in Okemah, Oklahoma on July 14th, 1912. This month will mark 100 years since his birth. Noted as one of the most famous folk singers of his time, Woody still has a loyal fan base to this day. His songs captured the daily lives of what he called, “Dust Bowl Refugees,” migrants who left the barren fields of Oklahoma in the aftermath of the Great Depression searching for brighter opportunities out west in California.

Along with his signature blend of stripped down acoustic guitar and the hum of his harmonica, Woody’s voice resounded a powerful message of perseverance in some of America’s darkest times.

Songs like, “This Land is Your Land,” drew inspiration from the world Woody saw around him, painting vivid images of the working class and chronicling their struggles for survival. The songs of this folk music legend were filled with tales of families rambling across the wide-open landscape of America.

These songs remind me of my grandfather-in law Jack, who rambled across America from Oklahoma at age twelve in a grey, 1938 Plymouth sedan. His entire family was packed so tight he couldn’t stretch out his legs. They still managed to pick up a hitchhiker, a waitress they’d met in Britton, Oklahoma, who paid $35 to come along.

Filled with the same hopes that those that fled the dustbowl earlier shared, Jack and his family eventually ended up renting what he referred to as, “a reformed chicken coop,” with a tin roof in Galt, CA. As Jack told me about how his family drove across country in 1942, I thought about how in 1936, Woody Guthrie had made a similar trek.

Given the difficult economic times Americans face in 2012, Woody Guthrie’s music still has its relevance as we celebrate his music 100 years later. The hard-learned lessons conveyed by the straight talking guitar picker known as Woody Guthrie still draw similarities within our lives, and perhaps you have your own story to share.

As we remember those stories, listening to the words and images he conjured up in his tunes, sung in a confident storytelling drawl, think about your own modest origins.

What musicians and songs bring you back to a time when you made a family road trip?

Pencils.com encourages you to share your stories with us in the comments section below.

Photo by Wolfgang Staudt.