Ribbon of Highway-Endless Skyway
A Concert in the Spirit of Woody Guthrie
By Susan Moore
 A
dust bowl wind from up Oklahoma way blew into Austin Saturday
night bringing the Ribbon of Highway--Endless Skyway tour
to the capitol city. The spirit of Woodrow Wilson Guthrie himself
seemed to creep in the back door and sit a spell in the Texas
Union Theater on the University of Texas Campus. I can't help
but think he liked what he heard.
An ensemble of modern day folkies including Slaid Cleaves,
Eliza Gilkyson, Ellis Paul, Jimmy LaFave, granddaughter Sara
Lee Guthrie and her husband, Johnny Irion, performed the Woody
tribute. The tour, which began in California in late January,
has had some cast changes, picking up Sarah Lee Guthrie when
it stopped at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville February 4.
The tour is the brainchild of LaFave who, along with other folk
artists, was recently given permission by Woody's daughter Nora
Guthrie to put to music many of the lyrics in the Woody Guthrie
Archives.
A rousing version of "Bound for Glory" with the
entire cast on stage initiated the two hour concert. Oklahoma
songwriter Bob Childers, known affectionately as the "Dylan
of the Dust," narrated the program, quoting Woody often
and introducing each performer. Each performer had an opportunity
to sing favorite Woody songs along the way as Childers chronicled
the troubadour's troubled life.
Especially haunting was the duet by Gilkyson and Paul of "Way
Over Yonder in the Minor Key" dedicated to Woody's mother
Nora, who inspired the songwriter with the songs she sang to
him as a child. She ended up institutionalized for what was
later diagnosed as the symptoms of Huntington's Chorea. It was
this inherited degenerative disease that later ravaged Woody
and put an end to his brilliance.
Always one to take up the cause of the common man, the hobo
and even the outlaw, Guthrie wrote "Pretty Boy Floyd"
at a time in history when folks were looking for a Robin Hood
of sorts to save them from the Great Depression. Slaid Cleaves
sang this song Saturday night in his usual style and it made
me think of his song about the logger, Big Sandy.
"Pastures of Plenty," sung by Gilkyson and LaFave,
resonated with patriotism that the times we are now in warrant.
It was noted that many of Woody's themes, so pertinent in the
30's and 40's, ring just as true today as we stand on the brink
of war in the midst of a shaky economy.
Well, it's always we ramble that river and I
All along your green valley, I'll work till I die
My land I'll defend with my life, if it be
'Cause my pastures of plenty must always be free
Before intermission, Sara Lee Guthrie led the audience in
a sing-along of "Big Square Walking," a song she wrote
about her childhood, and Cleaves got the mostly middle aged crowd
up on their feet with "Do-Re-Mi" - you know, "I
don't need /no do-re-mi."
After a break, the performers returned to sing the gospel
tinged, "We've All Got to Walk That Lonesome Valley"
and Woody's anti-organized religion song "This Morning I
Was Born Again." Woody thought that if Jesus walked the
earth today he would identify more with the sinners than with
the " people sitting in the pews." "No Church
Tonight" was one of the archive songs without a tune that
Sarah Lee and her husband put to music. A little racy, it showcased
Sarah Lee's sultry vocals.
Perhaps the highlight of the night was Ellis Paul's rendition
of "God's Promise," put to his own melody and powerfully
delivered. Known for having a Woody Guthrie tattoo, Ellis also
had "anti-terror machine" emblazoned on his guitar,
no doubt emulating Woody's "this machine kills fascists."
As expected, the concert ended in the early hours of the morning
with "This Land is Your Land." Although this was the
second show of the evening, the performers seemed inspired, even
energetic, and signed commemorative posters after the concert,
with proceeds benefiting the Woody Guthrie Foundation and Archives.
It could be that Woody rambled on out into the night, heading
for the highway, happy to be remembered, but a little disturbed
to see the WWWD (What Would Woody Do?) buttons.
*As yet, there is no CD available of the live performance,
however each performer's music can be purchased through their
websites.
www.JimmyLafave.com
www.sarahleeguthrie.com
www.elizagilkyson.com
www.slaid.com
www.ellispaul.com
www.bobchilders.com
For more information about Woody Guthrie and the Woody Guthrie
Foundation and Archives visit:
www.woodyguthrie.org
You can contact Susan Moore at susan-at-rockzilla.net
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