Woody Guthrie

Woody Guthrie comes in a close second to Phil Ochs, only because Woody wrote just as many nonsense, love, and children's songs as he did songs of protest. What Woody was particularly great at was not even necessarily writing protest or political songs. His songs were more often just observations on things he saw along his travels. It just happened that stories like "Pretty Boy Floyd" or "Jesus Christ" depicted clear injustices.

Matter-of-Fact Stories

Woody Guthrie's songs didn't serve as a call to action, but instead were simply statements of the truth as he saw it: "This land was made for you and me," "Some men will rob you ... with a fountain pen," etc. In contrast to Phil Ochs' (and others') work, Woody's tunes are less satirical then they are matter-of-fact. As a result, somehow even songs like "Roll On, Columbia," one of Woody's many tributes to the Columbia River, came across as political statements.

Woody Guthrie's Influence

It's my personal opinion that Woody never set out to protest anything, at least not in the sense that many modern protest singers do. His intention was to spark up a conversation, to point out a few things you may not have noticed otherwise, and to raise a few questions. His style of songwriting was so effective that songwriters ever since have done what they could to emulate it—from Bob Dylan to Bruce Springsteen, Dan Bern, and others.

Great Albums by Woody Guthrie

Dust Bowl Ballads | Compare Prices

The Columbia River Collection | Compare Prices

The Asch Recordings, Vol. 1: This Land is Your Land | Compare Prices