Woody Guthrie at 100: Woody's Legacy to Working Men and Women

Story-Telling Time @ 3 Dots Last Night. Ka-blooey was the theme. Told my tale and got to play a song or two with my longtime accomplice Richard Sleigh.
Thanks for the opportunity Russell Fran. Thanks Vika for the pix. And shout out to my fellow story-tellers. Honored to share the stage and what a treat to hear your stories!!

Pure and Original Central Pennsylvania Coal Mine Country Music with a strong dash of Ukrainian Heritage in the mix. Theme from a larger folk operatic work from my friends J.T. and Bethany who go by the calling RUMBLE & SCREAM.

Rumble & Scream (Theme Song) For more information about Holy Crick Records, or the folk-rock, fantasy opera, Rumble & Scream: Post-Industrial Sounds in Pennsylkrainia, visit: www.rumblea...

In the 1960s I was figuring myself out and in the process taking classes at Penn State. One of the truly important persons who pointed a way was the pioneering American folklorist SAM BAYARD. He taught me about the a cappela ballad tradition, fife & fiddle tunes, and s***f dipping and the little intricate carved boxes went with the habit and that he collected in maybe then hundreds.
Most of all, Sam taught me about song collecting, in his case starting out in the 1930s in the barely populated backwoods and hill country of SW Pennsylvania and down into West Virginia. He was looking for folks who could sing the old story songs that had survived the migration to America from England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.
Sam did what he had to do to get those songs. He told me stories about being run off taken for a revenue man about to bust a makeshift distillery and sharing sleeping quarters with the kids and the dogs all on the promise to get a performance of song the next morning. In the beginning, Sam didn't have a recording machine. He sat with pencil and paper and wrote down the words and notes as he heard them.
It was Sam who encouraged me to go out and find my own doors to knock on, in my case not for songs performed live, but rather for the old 78 rpm records that had all kinds of song treasures captured in the groove.
I got to know Sam better than most because in 1969 I was the prez of the Penn State Folklore Society and he was our advisor. I got to spend a good bit of time with him. In 1973 when I set out to be a writer, Sam was the subject of my first published piece. SING OUT! THE FOLKSONG MAGAZINE. 1973. I offer it here if anyone is curious to learn about him. Reading it now, I have to laugh about how "literary" I was trying to sound. But ya gotta start somewhere. So, here 'tis. If it puts a smile on your face, mission accomplished

Another FB reminder that 12 years ago we put together WOODY@100 marking the centennial of Woody on the planet. Norah was beyond generous in making it all happen. So was Bob Santelli...and many of my colleagues here at Penn State.
For the logo, Robert Crumb provided his politically slightly incorrect Woody portrait (he's smoking a...gasp...cigarette!). Rev. Billy Wirtz and I did an impromptu tag team presentation on the power of Black gospel. Noel Stookey and daughter Liz sponsored and judged a songwriting competition under the auspices of their brilliant organization MUSIC2LIFE...still going strong! (https://www.musictolife.org/). Pete Seeger couldn't make the trip, but he sat with me in his high on the mountaintop back yard to record a video greeting for all from across the land who attended.
An extra special moment for me was Woody's grandkids (pictured here) singing his songs for students at the local grade school.

If you love live traditional and original acoustic music performed by two of the most highly regarded artists in the genre and, to boot, in a stunning and historic outdoor setting, then you don't want to miss KIERAN KANE & RAYNA GELLERT in concert at Colerain...SATURDAY AFTERNOON, June 22 starting at 2:00 PM.
MORE....
Kieran and Rayna are based in Nashville. Kieran Kane shifted from country music commercial success as one half of the O'Kanes to becoming a seminal singer/songwriter in the emerging Americana genre. Rayna Gellert rose to fame as the fiddle player in the old-timey group Uncle Earl before partnering with Kieran as a co-singer/songwriter in the current duo.
Tickets available at https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/1343d1ed-f29e-48b8-9363-d688f4ad8144

My dear friend BILL AMATNEEK, bass player extraordinaire, has written a compelling and singularly insightful book about the iconic acoustic guitarist TONY RICE. Bill, who played alongside Tony in the first iteration of the David Grisman Quintet, drew on personal experience and the words of other musical compatriots who knew Tony well to tell the story. I was mightily pleased to read this review and thought I'd pass along.

Discovering Tony Rice by Bill Amatneek - Book Review When you open " Discovering Tony Rice” by Bill Amatneek, don’t expect a detailed account of the man and his life. Rather, you should step in...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwcKwGS7OSQ&app=desktop

Woody Guthrie~ All You Fascists Bound To Lose A short song from one of Woody's radio broadcasts. (1940's?) Featured in this performance are: *Woody of course-guitar and voc. *the great SONNY TERRY on har...

http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/scene/offbeat/woody-guthrie-center-brings-bob-marley-exhibit-to-tulsa/article_79fa1e8e-43ff-5c48-9a91-0683ae96433b.html

Woody Guthrie Center brings Bob Marley exhibit to Tulsa Thanks to a new partnership, Bob Marley is paying a visit to Tulsa.

Pete Seeger’s New York Roots Considering the many places his music took him, you would be forgiven for forgetting that, in a deeply rooted sense, Seeger was a New Yorker.

This Summer NY City becomes Folk City! I just came from the opening of "Folk City" at the Museum of the City of New York. It was so great to see our good friends....Tom Paxton, Fred Hellerman (the last of the Weavers), Oscar Brand, John Cohen, and many others who came out to the opening gala last Tuesday night.

Announcing applications for the 2013 Woody Guthrie Fellowship
http://www.bmifoundation.org/program/woody_guthrie_fellowship_program

Woody Guthrie Fellowship Program | BMI Foundation, Inc. The Woody Guthrie Fellowship Program seeks to encourage unique exploration into the many facets of Woody Guthrie’s life, legacy, and contribution to American and world culture.

Guthrie Family entertains at State College Friend's School as part of recent Woody@100 Celebration at Penn State