TB2+Woody+Guthrie

=Childhood and Early Life= Woody was born in Okemah, Oklahoma on July 14th, 1912. He was taught music by his mother and father at an early age. Early in his life, his oldest sister Clara died, his family became destitute, and his mother was put into a psychiatric ward. She later passed away. When he was 8, oil was discovered in Okemah and it became a boom town. When the oil ran out, the town suffered from the poor economy. Woody soon decided to travel on the open road. Woody ended up in Pampa, Texas. Woody married Mary Jennings in 1933 and later had three children.Woody's first musician gig was a group, The Corn Cob Trio, with Matt Jennings and Cluster Baker. The Great Depression and Dust Bowl made it hard for him to support his family. Woody did whatever he could to make money such as painting signs, playing guitar, and singing. He traveled by hitchhiking and even walking (www.woodyguthrie.rog/biography/biography1.htm) (http://www.biography.com/people/woody-guthrie-9323949#awesm=~oD1f2kNRoMoQGy).

=**Career**= Woody got a job as a radio performer of traditional folk music in California. He had a partner named "Lefty" Lou and their music resonated with the migrant workers who moved from the Dust Bowl into California. Songs like "Dust Bowl Blues" and "Dust Bowl Refugee" were about the hardships faced by farmers and people trying to leave or survive in the areas hardest hit. His hit song "Do Re Mi" included the lines, "'Cross the desert sands they roll, gettin' out of that old dust bowl". The migrants loved him and he happily accepted the title of "outsider" and continued to make music for the common person trying to survive. He also used his time at the radio station to send a message about social injustices at the time. He made statements about corrupt politicians and business people, while spreading the message of Christianity (www.woodyguthrie.rog/biography/biography1.htm).

.media type="youtube" key="XaI5IRuS2aE" width="560" height="315" =Later Life= Throughout Woody's life, Woody was very anti-fascist and was a communist supporter. He was influenced by United States Communist groups. Elements of his communist political beliefs can be found in his songs. He held these beliefs throughout his life. After being diagnosed with Huntington's Chorea, a disease that affects the nervous system especially in the brain, he left his family with his friend Ramblin' Jack Elliott to live in a compound with Communist supporter Will Geer. Most of the residents of the compound were Hollywood actors that were put on McCarthy's blacklist. Guthrie also married his third wife in the late 1940's and had another daughter. Guthrie passed away from Huntington's Chorea on October 3, 1967 (http://www.biography.com/people/woody-guthrie-9323949#later-years-and-death&awesm=~oD1f2kNRoMoQGy).