Guthrie Woody

Woodrow Guthrie was an American singer-songwriter who is regarded as one of the most significant figures in American folk music; his songs have inspired several generations both politically and musically.

Dust Bowl Ballads was the most successful album Woody Guthrie made. Not only did it gain him public acclaim, but these songs and performances possess extraordinary unity. That unity comes from Guthrie discovering within himself the voice of one man who arises out of a mass of people who have been dislocated from their homes and much of what is familiar. It comes from telling a tale that travels from the first great dust storm that covered the southwest in darkness and terror to the very gates of "a Garden of Eden, a paradise for you and for me."

Songs like 'The Great Dust Storm" and "Dust Bowl Blues" are exact descriptions of what happened when a massive drought occurred in the middle of the Great Depression, uprooting millions of humans from lives and livelihoods they had thought eternal.

Woody Guthrie became the voice of his people and in a way that remains intelligible many years later. He set a standard to which many of today's best songwriters still aspire. Like Dylan, Springsteen and KRS-One, he gave his listeners stories and characters that help them better understand themselves. So these songs are not only historical; they are history itself, history being that which links present to future.

• 180 gram audiophile vinyl


• Includes insert with liner notes, background story and exclusive pictures


• This is the album that Inspired Dylan, Cash and Springsteen