Woody Guthrie Essay -- Biography Biographies

Woody Guthrie   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Woody Guthrie, born Woodrow Wilson Guthrie, was born in Okemah, Oklahoma in 1912. When he was 16 he began to travel around the United States (Feather 428). He had a great love for music and soon began writing his own songs about the Great Depression and the treatment of the migrant workers, who were forced to move west because of the Dust Bowl.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  His music greatly influenced many people across the country. However, Woody never let the fame go to his head.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"When Woody Guthrie was singing hillbilly songs on a little Los Angeles radio station in the late 1930’s, he used to mail out a small mimeographed songbook to listeners who wanted the words to his songs, On the bottom page appeared the following: ‘This song is Copyrighted in U.S., under Seal of Copyright # 154085, for a period of 28 years, and anybody caught singin it without our permission, will be mighty good friends of ourn, cause we don’t give a dern. Publish it. Write it. Sing it. Swing to it. Yodel it. We wrote it, that’s all   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  we wanted to do.’†(qtd. Pete Seeger www.geocities.com/Nashville/ 3448/guthrie.html) Woody was very passionate about his causes. He felt very strongly about the mistreatment of the migrant workers, probably because he was himself an â€Å"Okie†. His works served as inspiration for musicians like Bob Dylan and Pete Reeves 2 Seeger and not to mention â€Å"countless, less-famous others† (www.geocities.com/Nashville3448 guthrie.html) ...