This is a blog for the audience of WICN's The Folk Revival ~ 3 hours of the folk of the folk revivals of the 20th century into the 21st century. Hosted by Nick noble sharing some of his favorite roots and branches of folk music. Scroll down right column for interesting lists and information.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Arlo Guthrie - hits the scene

Great videos available at youtube but we are not allowed to embed them here

Young Arlo sings Motorcycle song:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=g266Uwp6ZnI
And below, Arlo in 2005 sings Alice's Restaurant -
just a teaser here, the whole song is at youtube
http://youtube.com/watch?v=5_7C0QGkiVo





The son of legendary folk artist Woody Guthrie, Arlo appeared at the 1969 Woodstock festival enjoys a long career playing folk music. Discography for Arlo:

* Alice's Restaurant (1967)
* Arlo (1968)
* Running Down the Road (1969)
* Washington County (1970)
* Hobo's Lullaby (1972)
* Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys (1973)
* Arlo Guthrie (1974)
* Together In Concert (1975)
* Amigo (1976)
* The Best of Arlo Guthrie (1977)
* One Night (1978)
* Outlasting the Blues (1979)
* Power Of Love (1981)
* Precious Friend (1982)
* Someday (1986)
* All Over the World (1991)
* Son of the Wind (1992)
* 2 Songs (1992)
* More Together Again (1994)
* Mystic Journey (1996)
* Alice's Restaurant - The Massacree Revisited (1997)
* "Bouncing Around the Room" on Sharin' in the Groove (2001)
* Live In Sydney (2005)

Arlo's Alice's Restaurant Massacree is an 18 minute folk/talking blues satire on the Vietnam War draft and anti-hippie prejudice, and is based on a true story. Set 1965, it begins with Guthrie's arrest for illegally dumping garbage from the titular restaurant, and 17 minutes later, after many twists and turns, ends up being judged unfit for military service due to his criminal record. A rather amusing anecdote related to the song was that when Guthrie had heard that Richard Nixon was a fan of the song, he suggested that this explained the famous 16 and a half minute gap in the Watergate tapes.


In recent years, Mr. Guthrie has released new music, but he's also remained true to his roots. In 1997, Rounder Records released a new version of Woody Guthrie's classic "This Land is Your Land," pairing his voice with that of his late father. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award. He also released "32¢," a compilation of Woody Guthrie tunes with special guests including The Dillards and his own children, Abe, Cathy, Annie and Sarah Lee Guthrie. Abe and Sarah Lee Guthrie will be among the musicians backing their dad at his Fairfield University performance.

Mr. Guthrie believes his audience enjoys the combination of new musical challenges and the comfort of nostalgia.

"I think most people think of me as the happy hippie of the 60's, and that's fine," he told The New York Times. "I think we stood up for the right stuff, and many of us still do."

Over the years, Mr. Guthrie has toured extensively in the United States, Canada and Europe, winning fans for both his musicianship and the thoughtful tales and wry anecdotes he folds into his shows. He has also created a program of symphonic arrangements of his own songs and other American classics that he performs with orchestras across the country.

In 1983, Mr. Guthrie launched his own record label, Rising Son Records. The label offers his complete catalogue of more than two dozen albums, including "Alice's Restaurant: The Massacree Revisited," a 30th anniversary re-recording of the original album with an updated version of the title track.

In 1991, Mr. Guthrie found another way to preserve the spirit of the song: He purchased Trinity Church, the Massachusetts setting for "Alice's Restaurant." On the consecrated site, he's created two not-for-profit organizations to honor his father, who died in 1967 of Huntington's Disease. The Guthrie Center is an interfaith church foundation dedicated to a wide range of community services, including HIV/AIDS referral, art and music classes for children recovering from abuse and a lecture series. The Guthrie Foundation addresses issues of our time, such as education, healthcare, the environment and cultural exchange.

"I was raised in a family whose philosophy was to try to make the world better, and if you can't make it better, at least don't make it worse," Mr. Guthrie told the Washington newspaper The Olympian.