‘Til We Outnumber Them
The Songs of Woody Guthrie
Righteous Babe
Woody Guthrie always thought that songs could – indeed, should – touch people’s hearts and stir them to be more compassionate human beings. He believed that the power of the song was unstoppable, that the strumming of the guitar and the singing of the right lyrics could change the world in some small way.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum teamed up with the Woody Guthrie Archives back in 1996 to celebrate Woody’s legacy. The weekend brought together several old folkies and friends of Guthrie in Cleveland’s Severance Hall. Legends like Pete Seeger, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Harold Leventhal, and others joined many of the younger artists who carry Guthrie’s flame. Artists including Bruce Springsteen, Arlo Guthrie, Billy Bragg, Dave Pirner, the Indigo Girls, and Ani DiFranco joined up with the old folks for a moving tribute to a man many would probably call the first ever folksinger-songwriter.
This 19-track release revives several of Woody’s lesser-known songs, including “Riding in My Car,” which Springsteen covers. In the intro to the song, Springsteen makes a comment something like “No disrespect Woody, but cars are my game.” Woody would’ve probably smiled at that.
Righteous Babe Records, PO Box 95, Elliot Station, Buffalo, NY 14205, info@righteousbabe.com; The Woody Guthrie Foundation and Archives, 250 West 57th St – Suite 1218, New York, NY 10107, http://www.woodyguthrie.org
