"Nashville Sings Woody" a riveting cultural experience

"Nashville Sings Woody" a riveting cultural experience
Arlo Guthrie receives set of Father & Son Gibsons

"Nashville Sings Woody," a tribute concert to influential folk singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie, featured an eclectic lineup of artists from the country, folk, bluegrass, rock 'n' roll, world music, blues and hip hop genres interpreting Guthrie's songs. A number of artists created original music to never-before-heard Guthrie poems and writings. The event took place at Nashville's historic Ryman Auditorium Thursday, Feb. 5, and was the highlight of the month-long Woody Guthrie 90th Year Celebration in Nashville, presented by Gibson Guitar and Baldwin Piano to benefit the Woody Guthrie Foundation and Archives.

Arlo Guthrie, Woody's eldest son and a compelling singer/songwriter in his own right, was presented with the first set of Gibson Montana's Father & Son guitars: the Woody Guthrie Banner Southern Jumbo, based on the historic round-shoulder acoustic model from the 1940s; and the Arlo Guthrie LG-2 3/4, a reproduction of a guitar Woody gave Arlo 50 years ago.

"It's wonderful to celebrate an occasion like this. I think my dad would have enjoyed it if he was here with us, and maybe he is," Guthrie told the enthusiastic audience. "But he also realized that singing and writing songs and playing with each other is an old tradition that goes back to time immemorial, it's not a new invention. And sometimes it's entertaining, but it's not always entertainment. It's a part of life, you know what I'm saying? And he wrote those kinds of songs.

"We've heard some of the people talk about some of the songs he wrote tonight. And the truth is, he did steal old songs from other places. He took the old gospel songs, he took the old traditional ballads, and he put his words to them like we heard tonight. People still called it stealing. Plagarism, bad words like that, 'til Pete Seeger come along and renamed it the folk process," Guthrie continued, to howls of laughter. "I think my dad's theory was that if you wanted people to be singing along with you on your new song, it'd be a hell of a start if they already knew the tune. Or even some of words."

Arlo and his daughter Sarah Lee Guthrie performed "Dead or Alive" - one of Woody's old cowboy songs that he said never succeeded - and "The Gypsy Davy," based on the traditional Anglo-American ballad "Black Jack Davy." Sarah Lee and husband Johnny Irion interjected their feisty spirit into "No Church Tonight," one of her grandfather's more risqu songs, to the delight of the audience.

The evening was loaded with standout performances. Alison Brown's sprightly banjo interpretation of "This Land Is Your Land" opened the show, and Nashville's youthful MET singers did an a capella choral arrangement of the song that no doubt had many in the audience reliving their school days. Oklahoma, Guthrie's home state, was frequently alluded to in song; James Talley, with Dave Pomeroy on bass, offered up "Oklahoma Hills." Legendary songwriter Janis Ian took a lyric of Woody's about his mother and turned it into a touching remembrance. Emcee Marty Stuart provided mandolin backup for the rollicking Old Crow Medicine Show on "Howdy Do." The sharp, spry humor of Ramblin' Jack Elliot was evident as he told stories of Woody's days in the Merchant Marine.

The second half of the show had some modern interpretations of Guthrie's songs. Native American rock band Blackfire did a powerful interpretation of "There Is Mean Things Happening in this Land." DJ Logic with bassist Rob Wasserman took one of Guthrie's writings, narrated by Studs Terkel, and provided a grooving, scratching backbeat. Berlin native Wenzel performed an artsy rendition one of Guthrie's children's songs, "Ticky Tock," on a Jubilee Red-finished Baldwin grand piano.

The concert served as the kick-off to the 15th Annual Folk Alliance Conference, a four-day event promoting and fostering traditional and contemporary folk music, dance, storytelling and related performing arts. This is the first time the city of Nashville has hosted the conference.

Robi Johns of Gibson's Acoustic Division presents
the first set of Gibson Montana's Father & Son guitars to Arlo.

Tennessean entertainment columnist Brad Schmidt presents a Nashville Metro Council Resolution,
proclaiming January 8 - February 9, 2003 as the Woody Guthrie 90th Year Celebration,
to Woody and Arlo's long-time manager Harold Leventhal
and Woody's daughter Nora Guthrie.

Slaid Cleaves-
"I'll always try to write, as Woody did,
about what's important to people.
And I'll try my best to do it with economy,
wit, compassion and honesty.
Woody taught me that you don't need
any fancy equipment or virtuoso talent;
you just need to speak the truth,
the deep-down truth."

Marty Stuart, president of the Country Music Foundation, informally nominated Woody Guthrie to the Country Music Hall of Fame during his performance. The audience gave a rousing approval of his suggestion.

During the finale, everyone contributed to the "unofficial national anthem" This Land Is Your Land.