Woodrow Wilson Guthrie was arguably one of America’s greatest historians. From the Oklahoma oil boom to the birth of the folk music scene in New York, Woody not only chronicled these events but he also lived them, ultimately becoming part of the history himself.
Guthrie has been deified by musicians and canonized by critics, but trying to define Woody is like trying to hold storm dust in your hands. Was he a folk music savant or a sage in tramp’s clothing? Ed Cray has attempted to answer that question in a new biography that examines Guthrie’s life and the genius that made him one of America’s great poets.
On Point talks with Ed Cray about his insights into the music and mind of legendary Woody Guthrie.
Guests:
Ed Cray, Professor of Journalism at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California and author of: “Ramblin’ Man: The Life and Times of Woody Guthrie”
Nora Guthrie, Executive Director of the Woody Guthrie Foundation and Archives, and daughter of Woody Guthrie.
