Woody Guthrie L.A. 1937-1941

By Darryl Holter & William Deverell, Foreward by Ed Cray

Edited by historians Darryl Holter and William Deverell, Woody Guthrie L.A. argues that the famed folk singer's brief residence in L.A. in the later years of the Great Depression forever changed his music, his politics, and his legacy. Those changes became the basis of his incredible influence on the world's music.

The books' 12 essays, richly illustrated by photographs from the era, explore such themes as Guthrie's early radio success in L.A. with the Woody and Lefty Lou Show, his first recordings made on old Presto disks, and the important friendship he forged with the actor and leftist radical Will Geer. Because Woody Guthrie came to Los Angeles when he did, his music stridently addresses inequities and inequalities amplified by the Depression. In Los Angeles, the ever-observant Dust Bowl troubadour became the urban folksinger.

The 12 Essays that Appear are:

1. Woody Guthrie in Los Angeles, 1937-1941 ~ Darryl Holter
2. Ramblin' In Black and White ~ Dan Cady & Douglas Flamming
3. Slow Train Through California ~ James Forester
4. The Guthrie Prestos: What Woody's Recordings Tell Us About Art & Politics ~ Peter LaChapelle
5. Woody's Los Angeles Editorial Cartoons ~ Tiffany Colannino
6. In The Shadow of the Steeple I Saw My People ~ Philip Goff
7. Woody and Will ~ Ed Robbin
8. Woody Sez ~ Ronald Briley
9. Woody and Skid Row in Los Angeles ~ Darryl Holter
10. The Ghost of Tom Joad ~ Bryant Simon & William Deverell
11. Woody at the Border ~ Josh Kun
12. Woody Guthrie's Recordings, 1939-1949 ~ Darryl Holter

Angel Press. Hardcover. 208 pgs. 2016.