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Events

Nearly every year across America, special events and concerts are given celebrating Woody Guthrie’s songs, life, legacy and social impact. Several of the events focus on the contributions Guthrie made while the Pacific Northwest, his time spent working at the Bonneville Power Administration in May of 1941, and the songs he produced during this time.

Upcoming Events

Woody Guthrie, American Radical

August 1-23, 2011, various locations

Will Kaufman, author of the book, Woody Guthrie, American Radical (University of Illinois Press, 2011), presents a series of live musical documentaries, which include commentary and performance of Woody Guthrie compositions.

Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration

multiple dates and venues throughout 2012

Marking the 100^th anniversary of Woody Guthrie’s birth, the Guthrie Family, the Woody Guthrie Archives and the Grammy Museum have planned a series of year-long concerts, a traveling exhibit, and educational conferences, celebrating his life, songs and spirit—the Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration.

Annual Events

Woody Guthrie Days

September 16-18, 2011, Pampa, TX

This annual event in Pampa, Texas, the location where Guthrie gained popularity in the 1930s on radio, pays tribute to the songs and life of the performer through concerts and “plugged” and “un-plugged” jam sessions.

Past Events

"Roll On Columbia: Woody Guthrie and the Columiba River Songs"

July 25, 2011, Portland, OR

A musical and visual tribute to Woody Guthrie by Portland-area musicians and a screening of the documentary film by oral historian and producer Michael O’Rourke, Roll On Columbia: Woody Guthrie and the Columbia River Songs, about Guthrie’s work for the Bonneville Power Administration, his songs, and the discovery nearly forty years later of Guthrie’s BPA recordings. Musical tributes of Guthrie’s music include the following performers and groups: The Wanderers, Renegade Minstrels, Lewi Longmire, Mike Midlo, Jim Brunberg, and Little Sue.

Roll On Columbia: The Songs and Stories of Woody Guthrie

On June 6, 2011, Spokane Public Radio sponsored a concert and film screening relating to Woody Guthrie’s time and musical output while employed by the Bonneville Power Administration. Guthrie’s songs were performed by Dan Maher, Carlos Alden and the Blue Ribbon Tea Company and was followed by a screening of the documentary film, Roll On Columbia. More information about this event may be found on the Spokane Public Radio May-June Program Guide.