Woody Guthrie: The Tribute Concerts

Artist: Various
2 Concerts: Carnegie Hall, 1968 • Hollywood Bowl, 1970

3-CD Set with two beautifully illustrated books containing historic liner notes and Guthrie biography, original concert reviews and photographs, attendees interviews and artists bios, and concert ephemera.

FEATURING:
• 20 never before released tracks
• Bonus tracks include interviews with Judy Collins, Jack Elliott, Arlo Guthrie, Country Joe McDonald, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, and Pete Seeger
• Rare photos and never before seen stills from the Hollywood Bowl show film masters
• Essays by Will Kaufman, Wenzel, and Sean Wilentz
• Reproduction of the original 1972 TRO Concert Book includes historic and concert photos with music notations and lyrics.

When Woody Guthrie died on October 3, 1967, after a stubborn fifteen year bout with Huntington‘s Disease, a lot of people who had known him, worked with him, or just sung his songs felt a spontaneous desire to do something.

A “Tribute to Woody Guthrie” was planned for two performances at Carnegie Hall on January 20th, 1968. The list of artists joined Woody’s own friends and peers with the next generation of songwriters and musicians just coming into their own.

To honor Woody’s unique position as an artist, for the first time ever, two albums were issued in 1972 shared between Columbia Records and Warner Brothers Records, collating and editing tracks from both concerts. Now, exactly 50 years after Woody’s death, we invite you to hear what took place on those two iconic evenings as we present the Carnegie Hall and Hollywood Bowl concerts in their original, scripted, concert order including twenty tracks which were never included on the original LPs and are here released for the first time. 

Producers Nora Guthrie, Michael Kleff and Steve Rosenthal dug deep into the story behind the concerts – working with the original reel to reel concert tapes and concert scripts, business letters, and personal stories – they recreate and recount how, when and why these early tribute concerts are still important and reveal how they had such an impact on those who attended.

“To listen to the recordings now is to reflect upon events from an earlier and simpler time, which were communing with a still earlier and even simpler time. But simplicity is not the same thing as innocence. Although times have changed, in many ways for the better, not so the good and evil, bravery and cowardice, generosity and injustice that Woody and his friends and followers sang about.  What is so striking in these recordings, above and beyond the politics and musical styles, is the timelessness of what Woody was getting at in his deceptively simple art.” Historian and author Sean Wilentz from his introduction “So Long To Woody Guthrie”

CD 1: At Carnegie Hall (70:45)
1. This Train Is Bound For Glory - Pete Seeger & Arlo Guthrie (harmonica) with Full Cast
2. Narration by Robert Ryan
3. Narration by Will Geer
4. Oklahoma Hills - Arlo Guthrie
5. Narration by Will Geer
6. So Long, It's Been Good To Know Yuh - Judy Collins
7. Narration - Robert Ryan
8. Riding In My Car - Woody Guthrie (recording)
9. Narration by Will Geer
10. Curly Headed Baby - Pete Seeger
11. Narration by Robert Ryan
12. Ramblin' Round - Odetta
13. Narration by Will Geer
14. Goin' Down The Road - Pete Seeger, Judy Collins & Arlo Guthrie
15. Narration by Robert Ryan
16. Pretty Boy Floyd by Tom Paxton
17. Narration by Will Geer
18. Blues For Woody by Richie Havens
19. Narration by Will Geer
20. Deportee - Judy Collins
21. Vigilante Man - Richie Havens
22. Pastures of Plenty - Tom Paxton
23. Grand Coulee Dam - Bob Dylan
24. Dear Mrs. Roosevelt - Bob Dylan
25. I Ain't Got No Home - Bob Dylan
26. Roll On Columbia: Part 1 - Judy Collins
27. Narration by Robert Ryan
28. Roll On Columbia: Part 2 - Judy Collins
29. Jackhammer John - Pete Seeger & Richie Havens
30. Biggest Thing That Man Has Ever Done - Tom Paxton
31. Union Maid - Judy Collins & Pete Seeger
32. Narration by Robert Ryan, Will Geer, & Judy Collins
33. This Land Is Your Land - Odetta, Will Geer, Arlo Guthrie with Full Cast

CD 2: At The Hollywood Bowl, Part 1 (70:13)
1. Intro This Train Is Bound For Glory - Full Cast
2. Narration - Peter Fonda & Will Geer
3. Oklahoma Hills - Arlo Guthrie
4. Narration by Will Geer
5. So Long, It's Been Good To Know Yuh - Joan Baez & Pete Seeger
6. Narration by Peter Fonda
7. Goin' Down The Road - Country Joe McDonald, Arlo Guthrie, Jack Elliott & Pete Seeger
8. Narration by Peter Fonda & Will Geer
9. Hobo's Lullaby - Joan Baez
10. Narration by Peter Fonda
11. Ramblin' Round - Odetta
12. Narration by Will Geer
13. I Ain't Got No Home - Pete Seeger & Arlo Guthrie (with Woody Guthrie recording)
14. Narration by Peter Fonda
15. Pretty Boy Floyd - Country Joe McDonald
16. Nine Hundred Miles - Richie Havens
17. Narration by Will Geer & Peter Fonda
18. Plane Wreck At Los Gatos (Deportee) - Joan Baez
19. Narration by Peter Fonda
20. John Hardy - Odetta
21. Narration by Will Geer
22. Hard Travelin' - Jack Elliott, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Earl Robinson, Country Joe McDonald & Arlo Guthrie
23. Narration by Will Geer
24. Vigilante Man - Richie Havens
25. Narration by Peter Fonda
26. 1913 Massacre - Jack Elliott
27. Do Re Mi - Arlo Guthrie (with Woody Guthrie recording)
28. Narration by Will Geer
29. Pastures of Plenty - Joan Baez (with Woody Guthrie recording)
30. Narration by Peter Fonda
31. Roll On Columbia - Earl Robinson & Pete Seeger

CD 3: At The Hollywood Bowl, Part 2 & Bonus Tracks (77:24)
1. Narration by Will Geer
2. Why Oh Why - Odetta & Narration with Will Geer & Peter Fonda
3. Mail Myself To You - Earl Robinson
4. Howdido - Jack Elliott
5. Narration by Peter Fonda
6. Woman At Home - Country Joe McDonald
7. Narration by Will Geer
8. The Sinking Of The Reuben James - Pete Seeger
9. Narration by Will Geer
10. Jesus Christ - Arlo Guthrie
11. I've Got To Know - Arlo Guthrie & Joan Baez (Background vocals: Odetta, John Pilla & Gib Guilbeau)
12. This Train Is Bound For Glory - Arlo Guthrie, Country Joe McDonald, Odetta, Joan Baez & Pete Seeger
13. Narration by Peter Fonda & Joan Baez
14. This Land Is Your Land / So Long, It's Been Good To Know Yuh - Full Cast

BONUS TRACKS:
15. Arlo Guthrie: ''The only thing I really remember…'' 
16. Arlo Guthrie: ''These events with a multitude of people…'' 
17. Judy Collins: ''First of all, your mom…'' 
18. Jack Elliott: ''I received an invitation…'' 
19. Jack Elliott: ''I was very excited about the whole thing…'' 
20. Rick Robbins: ''It was a mob scene…'' 
21. Rick Robbins: ''When he came out…'' 
22. Judy Collins: ''I was very nervous…'' 
23. Rick Robbins: ''I was very moved by…'' 
24. Tom Paxton: ''I was invited by…'' 
25. Tom Paxton: ''We all went on stage together…'' 
26. Tom Paxton: ''Oh, I look at pictures of me…'' 
27. Rick Robbins: ''And then after the show was more memories…''
28. Phil Ochs: ''The Woody Guthrie concert was my last straw…''
29. Arlo Guthrie: ''The second time I had more of a hand…'' 
30. Country Joe McDonald: ''Well at the rehearsal…''
31. Country Joe McDonald: ''The soundcheck for the show I was sitting…''
32. Arlo Guthrie: ''One of the great things…'' 
33. Arlo Guthrie: ''I was with Warner Brothers at the time…'' 
34. Arlo Guthrie: ''The records were made taking bits and pieces…''
35. Pete Seeger: "Woody lives on…"
36. Bob Dylan: Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie

2017. Bear Family Records.