America's greatest folk singer and songwriter, philosopher, political analyst, and man-of-the-people,
Woody Guthrie and his passionate social politics and deep humanity are as crucial in the America of today as they were in the turbulent 1930s and 1940s. He wrote well over 3,000 songs (including 'This Land is Your Land'), yet he was also a poet, painter, illustrator, novelist, journal keeper, and great letter writer. This fresh, intimate, and beautifully designed book tells Woody's story largely through his own personal writing, lyrics, and artwork, bringing his voice urgently to life. Woody's essential self portrait, carefully-curated by Woody's daughter Nora and award-winning music historian Robert Santelli, is supplemented with contributions by Chuck D., Ani DiFranco, Douglas Brinkley, Arlo Guthrie, and others. Featuring never-before-published handwritten lyrics to some of his greatest songs, personal diary entries, doodles, jokes, and piercing insights on politics and justice, this is an undeniable and important celebration of Woody's powerful life's work.
About the AuthorRobert Santelli is the Founding Executive Director of the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles and the author of more than a dozen books on American music. He also developed the Tulsa-based Woody Guthrie Center with Nora Guthrie and was VP of Education and Public Programs at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.
Nora Guthrie is the daughter of Woody Guthrie and president of Woody Guthrie Publications. She served as president of the Woody Guthrie Foundation for over 30 years, founded the Woody Guthrie Archive in 1992, and the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, OK in 2013. She is the executive producer of numerous Grammy award winning albums recording hundreds of her father's previously unknown lyrics. She lives in NY State.
AwardsWinner of The Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Book Award for Outstanding Pop Music Publication 2022.
Book InformationISBN 9781797211787
Author Nora GuthrieFormat Hardback
Page Count 352
Imprint Chronicle BooksPublisher Chronicle Books