The GRAMMY Museum, in conjunction with Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc. and the Woody Guthrie Archives, has announced today plans to commemorate the life and career of folk music legend Woody Guthrie. Designed to celebrate Guthrie’s extraordinary body of work and impact on American music, the centennial celebration will kick off in February 2012.
“Even four-decades after his death, the influence of my father’s music is still felt worldwide,” said Nora Guthrie, President of Woody Guthrie Publications and daughter of Woody Guthrie. “Because of its deep enthusiasm for Woody’s creative legacy as well as the underlying influence he’s had on so many musicians and songwriters in all genres of American music, the GRAMMY Museum is the obvious choice to help us celebrate the legacy that he created.”
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.
Many of Woody Guthrie’s songs are now staples in the canon of American music; “Pretty Boy Floyd,” “Pastures of Plenty,” “Going Down The Road,” “Hard Travelin’,” “Jesus Christ,” “I Ain’t Got No Home,” “Deportee,” “Roll On Columbia,” “Vigilante Man,” “Do Re Mi,” “Tom Joad,” “Union Maid,” “1913 Massacre,” “This Train Is Bound For Glory,” “Oklahoma Hills” and “Riding In My Car” are among the 3,000 songs he wrote in his lifetime. Woody’s iconic, “This Land Is Your Land” has become the unofficial American national anthem.
“We are thrilled to be producing such a remarkable series honoring one of the great artists in American folk music,” said GRAMMY Museum Executive Director, Robert Santelli. “We, at The GRAMMY Museum, hope to pay tribute to Woody Guthrie’s obvious contributions to American music and also broaden the national understanding of his cultural impact.”
Unique in scope, the year-long celebration will include a host of tribute concerts, educational curricula, lectures, conferences, a touring exhibition, grassroots hootenannies and more.
In the coming months, related functions will be announced via a special anniversary website, www.woody100.com. The site will profile additional, world-wide events in conjunction with the centennial.
“2012 is already shaping up to be quite the exciting year here at The GRAMMY Museum,” said Santelli. “We’re honored to be playing such a big part in the Woody Guthrie Centennial.”
About The GRAMMY Museum
Paying tribute to music’s rich cultural history, this one-of-a-kind, 21st-century Museum explores and celebrates the enduring legacies of all forms of music, the creative process, the art and technology of the recording process, and the history of the premier recognition of excellence in recorded music u2014 the GRAMMY Award. The GRAMMY Museum features 30,000 square feet of interactive and multimedia exhibits located within L.A. LIVE, the downtown Los Angeles sports, entertainment and residential district. Through thought-provoking and dynamic public and educational programs and exhibits, guests will experience music from a never-before-seen insider perspective that only The GRAMMY Museum can deliver.
About Woody Guthrie Publications
Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc.u00a0maintains Woody Guthrie’s catalogu00a0of music andu00a0is business administrator for Woody Guthrie’s creative works. Additionallyu00a0Woody Guthrie Publications produces and sponsors new works based on his life, legacy and creative catalog.
About The Woody Guthrie Archivesu00a0
Established in 1972, the Woody Guthrie Foundation is a non-profit organization that serves as administrator and caretaker of the Woody Guthrie Archives.u00a0 Dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of information about Woody Guthrie’s vast cultural legacy, the Woody Guthrie Archives houses the largest collection of Woody Guthrie material in the world.u00a0 Since it’s opening in 1996, the Woody Guthrie Archives has been a major success becoming an important resource for the general public, musicians, singers, songwriters, scholars, and public and private cultural institutions wishing to access the research collection. The Archives contains a wealth of primary source material pertinent to the study of Woody Guthrie, and his life and times in America during the 20th Century.
www.grammymuseum.org