Guthrie, Woody (1912–1967)

US folk singer and songwriter, known for his left-wing politics and songs about the struggles of ordinary people. ‘This Land is Your Land’, probably the most well-known of his more than 1,000 songs, was adopted by the civil-rights movement in the 1960s.

His folk style and spirit of protest influenced, among others, Bob Dylan. His other successful singles included ‘This Train Is Bound For Glory’, ‘So Long, It's Been Good To Know Ya’, ‘Hard Traveling’, ‘Blowing Down This Old Dusty Road’, ‘Union Maid’, and ‘Tom Joad’.

Guthrie left home at 15 to travel the USA by train. He visited migrant camps during the Great Depression in the 1930s, performing music with guitar and harmonica. He later travelled to New York City, and in 1941 joined the Almanac Singers, a left-wing folk music group that included Pete Seeger. He published an autobiography, Bound for Glory, in 1943 (filmed 1976).

His son Arlo Guthrie (1947– ), also a folk singer, is best known for the Vietnam-draft epic ‘Alice's Restaurant’ (1967; filmed 1969).