John Mellencamp, Arlo Guthrie to headline Tulsa’s Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration in March
Woody Guthrie (AP file)
The L.A.-based Grammy Museum, in conjunction with Woody Guthrie Publications Inc. and the Woody Guthrie Archives, announced today details about their plans to commemorate the life and career of Oklahoma folk music legend Woody Guthrie in Tulsa.
Designed to celebrate Guthrie’s extraordinary body of work and impact on American music, Tulsa’s Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration will take place March 5-11 and will include an exhibition, educational programming, a conference at The University of Tulsa and a tribute concert headlined by John Mellencamp and Guthrie’s son Arlo Guthrie.
Arlo Guthrie (Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman Archives)
Tickets to the concert, which also will feature The Flaming Lips, Hanson, Rosanne Cash, Del McCoury Band, Old Crow Medicine Show, Tim O’Brien and Jimmy LaFave, will go on sale Saturday, Feb. 4.
Special exhibition
Kicking off the Tulsa celebration is the launch of the new exhibition “Woody at One Hundred: The Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration 1912-2012,” sponsored by the George Kaiser Family Foundation.
Curated by The Grammy Museum and the Woody Guthrie Archives, the exhibit will open at Gilcrease Museum on Feb. 5 and remain on view through April 29. The exhibition will consist of a broad array of Guthrie’s lyrics, journals, original artwork and ephemera from the Okemah native’s life, according to the announcement.
As part of the special exhibit, Guthrie’s original draft of the alternative American anthem “This Land is Your Land” will be on display for the first time in Oklahoma. Additionally, a week-long series of educational programming, produced by The Grammy Museum, will support the exhibition.
As a special addition to the programming, the cast of the musical “Woody Sez” will perform at Tulsa elementary schools throughout the week.
“We are delighted that Gilcrease Museum has been selected as the venue for the debut of the exhibition celebrating the life and body of work of Woody Guthrie. The exhibition will offer the public its first glimpse into the Guthrie Archives recently acquired by the George Kaiser Family Foundation,” said Duane H. King, Ph.D., Executive Director of Gilcrease Museum, in the announcement.
The George Kaiser Family Foundation, a Tulsa-based charitable organization, purchased the Woody Guthrie Archives in 2011 from Woody Guthrie Publications in New York and plans to create a permanent home for the archives and make Guthrie’s collection available for research and education in downtown Tulsa.
Educational Conference
“Different Shades of Red,” the March 10 University of Tulsa conference, will explore Woody Guthrie’s Oklahoma roots. It will feature three panels, each with three speakers. The panels include “A Culture of Protest,” which examines the political and cultural environment that shaped Guthrie’s views; “Red Dirt Roots,” which considers Guthrie’s musical influences; and “Echoes of Woody,” which addresses Guthrie’s legacy as it pertains to the Dust Bowl and Depression-era Oklahoma.
“For far too long, Woody Guthrie’s contributions have not been fully appreciated in his home state of Oklahoma. Now, 100 years after his birth, we are able to honor his musical legacy, explore his societal contributions and truly appreciate this iconic piece of state – and national – history right here in the Heartland. The University of Tulsa is thrilled to kick off this yearlong celebration of Guthrie’s multifaceted life,” said Brian Hosmer, H.G. Barnard Associate Professor of Western American History at TU, in the announcement.
For more information and to register for the conference, go to www.utulsa.edu/guthrie. Registration is $40 and includes lunch. National radio commentator and bestselling author Jim Hightower will deliver the keynote address. Students may register for $15 and must show a valid ID at check-in.
Tribute concert
The apex of the Tulsa celebration will take place on Saturday evening, March 10, with
John Mellencamp (AP file)
the first installment of “This Land Is Your Land ~ The Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration Concert” at the historic Brady Theater. John Mellencamp, Arlo Guthrie, Rosanne Cash, Del McCoury Band, The Flaming Lips, Old Crow Medicine Show, Hanson, Tim O’Brien and Jimmy LaFave will perform classic Woody Guthrie songs at the star-studded event.
Ticket prices range from $45 to $250 and will go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, at www.protixonline.com.
People who register for the March 10 TU educational conference by Friday, Feb. 3, will have a special opportunity to purchase advance tickets to the benefit concert.
“The goal of The Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration is not just to pay tribute to Guthrie’s obvious contributions to American music, but to also broaden the national understanding of his cultural impact,” said Grammy Museum Executive Director Bob Santelli in the announcement. “The lineup scheduled for the Brady Theater show in Tulsa speaks volumes about Guthrie’s influence. It’s truly an honor to be producing this all-star event.”
Woody Guthrie was born July 14, 1912, in Okemah. The prolific songwriter, folk musician and crusader for social justice died Oct. 3, 1967, from complications of Huntington’s disease but not before having a vast impact on American music and culture.
The Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration is one of the largest and most comprehensive centennial celebrations ever staged for an American music icon. For the most up-to-date information and a complete schedule of events for the nationwide Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration, go to www.woody100.com.
-BAM
South By Southwest announces music lineup, including Oklahoma acts and Woody Guthrie panel
Woody Guthrie
The South By Southwest Music Conference has released its expansive 2012 schedule, including dozens of bands that will be showcased March 13-18. (The interactive portion of SXSW will be March 9-13, while the film part will be March 9-17.)
Among the musical talents on the list are Talib Kweli, Built to Spill, Of Montreal, The Ting Tings, Todd Snider and the now-infamous-from-SNL Lana Del Ray.
Representing Oklahoma will be Shiny Toy Guns, who have Shawnee roots; Ray Wylie Hubbard, who hails from Soper/Hugo; J.D. McPherson of Broken Arrow; and OK Sweetheart, AM & Shawn Lee and Tea Leaf Green, who all have Tulsa ties.
Also, legendary Okemah native Woody Guthrie will be the subject of the March 15 panel “Woody Guthrie at 100,” one of the many events this year commemorating what would have been the singer-songwriter’s 100th birthday on July 14.
For more information, go to www.sxsw.com. More Oklahoma bands are sure to be added in the coming days and weeks.
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: Wilco and Billy Bragg play Woody Guthrie’s “California Stars”
In honor of today’s big news that the George Kaiser Family Foundation has purchased the complete Woody Guthrie Archives with plans to create a downtown Tulsa space to display the collection, check out this video of Wilco and Billy Bragg performing “California Stars.”
The bouncy song is included on the 1998 album “Mermaid Avenue,” which featured previously unheard lyrics written by Okemah native Guthrie that were put to music written and performed by the American alt-rock band and British troubadour.
Nora Guthrie, the late, great singer-songwriter’s daughter, has overseen the Woody Guthrie Archives and even housed them in her New York home up until now. She organized the “Mermaid Avenue” project and many others like it intended to set Woody Guthrie’s lyrics to music.
In 2012, music lovers around the world will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the late songwriting legend’s birth.
Born July 14, 1912, in Okemah, Guthrie was a prolific singer-songwriter with a gift for connecting to listeners through his “Dust Bowl Ballads,” children’s tunes and protest songs. Before he died Oct. 3, 1967, of Huntington’s disease, he had penned thousands of songs, letters and stories and created hundreds of paintings, drawings and cartoons, and many of those are included in the Woody Guthrie Archives bound for Tulsa.
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: “David Amram: The First 80 Years” film trailer
Tulsa Film on wimgo
Acclaimed composer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist David Amram will be inducted tonight into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in Tulsa. He will receive the Jay McShann Lifetime Achievement Award at 7:30 tonight during the Tulsa-based Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame’s 2011 Induction Gala and Ceremony.
The class of 2011 also will include Dorothy “Miss Blues” Ellis of Oklahoma City and Theodore “Rudy” Scott of Tulsa, who will be inducted in the blues category; Donald “Don” Cherry, James “Jim” Pepper, and Charles E. “Pee Wee” Russell, who will be posthumously inducted in the jazz category; Sharel Cassity, Legacy Tribute Award recipient; and Dr. Terry Segress of Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Dr. Ron Predl of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra and Dr. Kent Kidwell of the University of Central Oklahoma, winners of the Zelia Breaux Educator Awards.
Lou Kerr, president of The Kerr Foundation, and Suzanne Tate, recently retired executive director of the Oklahoma Arts Council, will receive the Spirit of Community Excellent Award.
In addition, the jazz hall will help Amram celebrate his 81st birthday at 7 p.m. Thursday with a screening of the documentary “David Amram: The First 80 Years.” The screening also will feature the film’s director Lawrence Kraman.
For information on tonight’s induction ceremony and Thursday’s screening, go to www.okjazz.org.
To read my feature on Amram, click here.
-BAM
Video: David Amram talks Oklahoma and Woody Guthrie
Acclaimed composer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist David Amram was kind enough to sit down with me for an interview over the summer in Okemah during the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, which he has played annually for about eight years.
Although he has never lived here, Amram considers Oklahoma in some ways a spiritual second home, and he will be inducted tonight into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in Tulsa. He will receive the Jay McShann Lifetime Achievement Award at 7:30 tonight during the Tulsa-based Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame’s 2011 Induction Gala and Ceremony.
The class of 2011 also will include Dorothy “Miss Blues” Ellis of Oklahoma City and Theodore “Rudy” Scott of Tulsa, who will be inducted in the blues category; Donald “Don” Cherry, James “Jim” Pepper, and Charles E. “Pee Wee” Russell, who will be posthumously inducted in the jazz category; Sharel Cassity, Legacy Tribute Award recipient; and Dr. Terry Segress of Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Dr. Ron Predl of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra and Dr. Kent Kidwell of the University of Central Oklahoma, winners of the Zelia Breaux Educator Awards.
Lou Kerr, president of The Kerr Foundation, and Suzanne Tate, recently retired executive director of the Oklahoma Arts Council, will receive the Spirit of Community Excellent Award.
In addition, the jazz hall will help Amram celebrate his 81st birthday at 7 p.m. Thursday with a screening of the documentary “David Amram: The First 80 Years,” featuring the film’s director Lawrence Kraman.
For information on tonight’s induction ceremony and Thursday’s screening, go to www.okjazz.org.
To read more of my interview with Amram, click here.
-BAM
David Amram to receive Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame’s Lifetime Achievement Award tonight in Tulsa
David Amram
A version of this story appears in Wednesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
David Amram earns Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame’s Lifetime Achievement Award
The venerable composer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist will be inducted into the Tulsa-based hall Wednesday.
TULSA — David Amram grew up on a farm in Feasterville, Penn., now makes his home in Putnam Valley, N.Y., but thanks to his long music career, he also considers himself a man of the world.
“Sometimes people get so kind of like stuck in one place and they figure that’s it. And then if you’re lucky enough to work in music and get around … you realize that the whole world can be your home and every place has something beautiful to offer,” Amram said in a summer interview from Okemah, where he was playing the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival.
In some ways, Amram considers Guthrie’s native state a kind of spiritual second home, and on Wednesday, the acclaimed songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist will be inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame.
“This guy’s like Aaron Copland, frankly, and I think over time, as people get exposed to his talent and his genius, that’s how he will be placed,” said Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame CEO Jason McIntosh. “He’s done a lot with our jazz camp … and he loves Oklahoma.
“I think he’s fascinated by the talent that comes from Oklahoma. As small as a state as it is population-wise, we are a musical place and we are a crossroads. I think that’s why you have this crazy mix of talent in all types of music, and jazz is no different.”
Amram will receive the Jay McShann Lifetime Achievement Award at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday during the Tulsa-based Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame’s 2011 Induction Gala and Ceremony.
The class of 2011 also will include Dorothy “Miss Blues” Ellis of Oklahoma City and Theodore “Rudy” Scott of Tulsa, who will be inducted in the blues category; Donald “Don” Cherry, James “Jim” Pepper, and Charles E. “Pee Wee” Russell, who will be posthumously inducted in the jazz category; Sharel Cassity, Legacy Tribute Award recipient; and Dr. Terry Segress of Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Dr. Ron Predl of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra and Dr. Kent Kidwell of the University of Central Oklahoma, winners of the Zelia Breaux Educator Awards.
Lou Kerr, president of The Kerr Foundation, and Suzanne Tate, recently retired executive director of the Oklahoma Arts Council, will receive the Spirit of Community Excellent Award.
Amram has composed more than 100 orchestral and chamber music works. He written many scores for Broadway theater and film, including the scores for the movies “Splendor in The Grass” and “The Manchurian Candidate”; two operas, including the groundbreaking Holocaust opera “The Final Ingredient”; and the score for the landmark 1959 cult classic short film “Pull My Daisy,” narrated by Jack Kerouac.
Recognized as a pioneering French horn player and world music ambassador, Amram was Leonard Bernstein’s choice as the first composer-in-residence with the New York Philharmonic.
Amram has collaborated with Dizzy Gillespie, Langston Hughes, Dustin Hoffman, Willie Nelson, Thelonious Monk, Elia Kazan, Charles Mingus, Arthur Miller, Johnny Depp and Tito Puente. Last month, Amram joined Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie and other musicians in playing an Occupy Wall Street protest show at Columbus Circle Fountain.
His Oklahoma connections date back several decades: Amram also made music with renowned Okmulgee-born jazz bassist and cellist Oscar Pettiford.
“He was one of the first people that ever gave me a job,” Amram said of Pettiford, who died in 1960. “I’m the only living person left that played with him.”
In 1956, Amram became forever linked with another prominent Oklahoma musician when he had the chance to spend an afternoon with Woody Guthrie, whom he met through a friend of a friend.
“He talked about when he was a kid hearing ballet music and opera music at home, along with reading books. He was like a really brilliant, smart, wonderful guy,” he said. “I guess he was already in bad health, but he was having a good day apparently because he’d walked from Coney Island all the way into Manhattan — maybe he took the subway part of the way, I don’t know — but he used to do that and he loved all the different neighborhoods. That inspired me when I was writing the piece years later to think about, imagining what it was like.”
Along with playing Okemah’s WoodyFest for the past several years, Amram was commissioned in 2007 to compose “Symphonic Variations on a Song by Woody Guthrie.” The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame will have Amram conduct a 50-piece orchestra in performing the piece March 9 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Guthrie’s birth.
In addition, the jazz hall will help Amram celebrate his 81st birthday at 7 p.m. Thursday with a screening of the documentary “David Amram: The First 80 Years,” featuring the film’s director Lawrence Kraman.
“I only feel it when the temperature gets over 100 or below zero, then I say, ‘Man, I think I’m getting older,’” he said of aging. “But the rest of the time, I’m cool.”
“So far,” he added, knocking on wood.
Going on
Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame 2011 Induction Gala and Ceremony
When: 6 p.m. reception, 6:45 p.m. dinner, 7:30 p.m. ceremony Wednesday.
“David Amram: The First 80 Years” film screening
When: 7 p.m. Thursday.
Where: The Jazz Depot, 111 E First Street (upper level), Tulsa.
Information: (918) 281-8600 or www.okjazz.org.
-BAM
Video: Jason Boland & the Stragglers play “Woody’s Road”
Legendary Oklahoma-born singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie died Oct. 3, 1967, of Huntington’s disease. Even though it’s been 44 years to the day since Guthrie passed away, his vast musical legacy lives on.
In honor of the anniversary of Guthrie’s death, check out this YouTube fan video of Jason Boland & the Stragglers performing “Woody’s Road” in concert. Written by the late, great Bob Childers, the Oklahoma singer-songwriter known the father of red dirt music, the tribute song is featured on the Stragglers’ new album “Rancho Alto,” due out Tuesday.
Boland, who was born and raised in Harrah but now lives in Texas, recently chatted with me via phone about the new album, including his band’s recording of “Woody’s Road.” Look for that feature story Wednesday here on BAM’s Blog, on NewsOK and in The Oklahoman.
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: David Amram talks about Woody Guthrie
Future Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Famer David Amram returned to the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival last month in Guthrie’s hometown of Okemah.
It was the eighth straight year for the acclaimed songwriter, composer, conductor and multi-instrumentalist to perform at WoodyFest.
Also at WoodyFest, Amram played Mary Jo’s Pancake Breakfast, provided musical accompaniment for the Woody Guthrie Poets, performed with any fellow performer who asks and jammed in the parking lot until sunrise.
He recorded a segment of “Art of the Song: Creativity Radio,” an hourlong weekly radio show airing on more than 100 radio stations across the U.S. and Canada, at the festival, too.
NewsOK video intern A.J. Sinker shot this video of my interview with Amram after he taped the show. Amram shared with us what meeting Woody and making his yearly pilgrimage to Okemah has meant to him.
Amram will be inducted in the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame in fall.
The next 12 months will be big for Woody fans, since the world will celebrate the centennial of the legendary singer-songwriter’s birth on July 14, 2012. For more information on centennial festivities, go to www.woody100.com.
-BAM
From Okemah to you: What you may have missed at the 2011 Woody Guthrie Folk Festival
Here is a taste of the music samplings from last week’s WoodyFest in Okemah.
The video features music from Jess Klein, Krishna Guthrie (the great-grandson of Woody) and others, along with an interview with David Amram about meeting Woody.
-Adam Kemp
Ronny Cox finds “Deliverance” playing folk music, performing at Okemah’s Woody Guthrie Folk Festival
Actor Ronny Cox, known for his roles in the movies "Deliverance," "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Bound for Glory," has forged a second career as a folk musician. He will perform today at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah. (Photo provided)
A version of this story appears in Saturday’s The Oklahoman.
Ronny Cox finds “Deliverance” in folk music
The actor has forged a second career as a singer-songwriter and is playing the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah.
OKEMAH — Four decades ago, Ronny Cox made his movie debut in the 1972 backwoods thriller “Deliverance,” in which he memorably strapped on his acoustic guitar to play “Dueling Banjos” with a hillbilly prodigy played by Billy Redden.
It turned out to be an auspicious debut in more ways than one.
Since, Cox has amassed more than 125 film and television credits, including high-profile movie roles in “Beverly Hills Cop” and “Beverly Hills Cop II,” “Total Recall” and “Robocop.” He also played a musical cohort of Oklahoma songwriting legend Woody Guthrie in the Oscar-winning 1976 biopic “Bound for Glory,” based on Guthrie’s autobiography.
“I come back here because this is the mother church. Kerrville (Folk Festival in Texas) and here are the places where we all go to reprime that pump,” Cox said Thursday over a cold cup of iced tea at the Brick Street Cafe during the 14th Annual Woody Guthrie Folk Festival.
“This music is in my soul.”
Along with acting, Cox has forged a second career as a folk singer/songwriter/musician who has made several pilgrimages to WoodyFest. He performs at 1 p.m. today at the Okemah Middle School Auditorium; the festival continues through Sunday at various venues in Guthrie’s hometown.
Actor Ronny Cox appears as Ozark Bule in a scene from the 1976 Woody Guthrie biopic "Bound for Glory," based on Guthrie's autobiography. Along with acting, Cox has forged a second career as a folk musician and will play Saturday at Okemah's Woody Guthrie Folk Festival. (United Artists Corporation photo)
Born and raised in New Mexico, Cox, who turns 73 next week, grew up hearing and playing folk music. He graduated from Eastern New Mexico University in 1963 as a double major in theater and speech correction. He was working in theater when John Boorman cast him in “Deliverance.”
“I’ve been lucky. I’ve had a great career as an actor. I’m not rich, but I’ve made enough money that if I’m prudent, I could probably scrape by for the rest of my life,” said Cox, who drove from his home in Los Angeles to Okemah for WoodyFest even though he recently sustained a torn retina.
“People often ask me what do I like best, acting or music. And I love acting and I’m good at it, but I don’t love it as much as the music,” he added. “The thing that gives me the most pleasure in the world is the music.”
His passion and talent for music are apparent in the indelible “Dueling Banjos” scene in “Deliverance.” While a body double played banjo for Redden, Cox performed the guitar part himself, though he didn’t record the version for the film’s soundtrack.
“I’m writing a new book on the making of ‘Deliverance’ because this year … is the 40th anniversary of us shooting ‘Deliverance,’” he said. “Of all the films I’ve ever done, people want to talk more about that film than any other by a lot. And there are so many stories about that film around, and I would say 90 percent of them are false. It was my first film. It was my first time in front of the camera. It was Ned Beatty’s first film, too.”
The landmark thriller launched Cox’s prolific acting career. He frequent plays strong-willed authority figures, from police detectives (“Beverly Hills Cop,” “The Onion Field”) and villainous executives (“Robocop,” “Total Recall”) to space leaders (“Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Stargate SG-1”) and even U.S. presidents (“Murder at 1600,” 1990’s “Captain America”).
“One of my favorite roles I ever got to do was in ‘Bound for Glory,’” he said. “A lot of people don’t realize that Woody wrote all those wonderful songs. They think those are just songs that have been here forever.”
Making music has been particularly important to Cox since the 2006 death of his wife, Mary. They met when she was 11 and he was 14, and he never had another girlfriend or even a date with anyone else. They were married for 46 years.
“The music has allowed me to grieve publicly. I don’t make any secret of my love of Mary, and I talk about her all the time. And audiences get that because we’re all in this together. And that’s what this kind of music is about to begin with: It’s music of the folk,” Cox said.
“Sometimes the most frivolous little song will get to you in a way that you didn’t think it would, and sometimes you take a song like Mickey Newbury’s ‘Sweet Memories’ where I practically tear up hearing it right now and it was Mary’s favorite song. Sometimes I can get through it and sometimes I can’t, but I just tell the audience, ‘If I don’t get it, help me.’ And they do. And they do get it.”
These days, he only takes on movie roles that will accommodate his music gigs “because it’s that important to me.”
“With acting, no matter what kind of acting it is — whether it’s movie, television, plays, you name it — there is and must be that imaginary fourth wall between you and the audience. You can’t step through the lens. You can’t step off the stage. You can’t step out of character,” Cox said.
“With music, especially the kind of music I do where I also tell stories, there’s the possibility of a profound one-on-one sharing that takes place that you can’t get anyplace else. Because music goes right straight to the heart.”
Going on
Woody Guthrie Folk Festival
When: Through Sunday.
Where: Various venues in Okemah.
What: Musical performances, children’s activities, open mike, poetry reading, guitar workshop and fundraisers for the state chapter of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America.
Admission: Free.
Parking: Free for daytime events; $15 per car evenings at the Pastures of Plenty Stage and includes a festival program.
Information: www.woodyguthrie.com.
-BAM
