| Woody Guthrie, born this day in 1912 in Okemah, Oklahoma, was an American singer and composer whose songs told of the common people and their struggles, especially during the Great Depression. Guthrie took to the road at the height of the Dust Bowl, frequenting hobo and migrant camps on his way to California, where he first popularized his politically charged songs. Responsible for such classics as “This Land Is Your Land,” he became a mythic figure and catalyst for later revivals of folk music. |