Woody Guthrie, the founding father of American folk music paved the way for a whole generation of folk singers, including Bob Dylan, Phile Ochs, John Mellencamp, Pete Seeger and Jonny Cash. He inspired the concept of the protest song during the Great Depression and the dust bowl era, which is why the story of his life came to the West End in the production, Woody Sez: The Words, Music & Spirit of Woody Guthrie at The Arts Theatre, London.
While the pictures on The Arts Theatre’s website didn’t really do the show justice, the power of Woody Guthrie’s words, music & folked up spirit would shine through a blackout. You’ve only got to take a look at the cool little sticker he used to have in his guitars too see what a genuine dude he was. It said, “This machine kills fascists”, which is a brilliant reminder of how politically frenzied the early 20th century really was. Luckily, there’s not as much out-and-out fascism going around in the 21st century.
Woody Sez started at The Arts Theatre on Great Newport Street on the 13th January and went on to run through to the 2nd April 2011. Songs that were included in the showcase included This Land Is Your Land and Bound for Glory, but hopefully if you managed to see the performance while it was running you will have gone on to listen to many more of his songs. He did a mean version of House of the Rising Sun back in 1940 that’s definitely worth listening to and the children’s song (Take Me) Riding in My Car is classic.
Guthrie’s the kind of person you’d imagine at the heart of The Grapes of Wrath and the musical legacy that he has left behind is undeniable significant. Hopefully there will be plenty more productions like Woody Sez at The Arts Theatre to continue to do justice to his words, songs and spirit.
If you’re interested in more from Woody Guthrie, visit our page on the recent publication of his long lost novel, House of Earth. It’s set during the dust bowl era that he lived through as he was learning the folk music that went on to make him the legend that he became.
