Nora Guthrie
Encyclopedia
Nora Lee Guthrie is the daughter of American
folk musician and singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie
and his second wife Marjorie Guthrie
, sister of singer/songwriter Arlo Guthrie
, and granddaughter of renowned Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt
. She oversees the Woody Guthrie Foundation
located in New York City
.
In 1995, Guthrie approached Billy Bragg
, an English
folk/pop singer of similar sociopolitical philosophy, to create music for some of the many poems that her father wrote but never developed into songs. Bragg enlisted the band Wilco
to help with the project. The resulting albums were titled Mermaid Avenue
(released 1998) and Mermaid Avenue Vol. II
(2000), named after the street in Coney Island, New York where she lived with her parents as a child. Guthrie appears in and narrates the 1999 DVD
documentary
Man in the Sand
, which chronicles the creation process of the Mermaid Avenue recordings. Later, she undertook a similar project with singer Jonatha Brooke
, which emerged in 2008 as an album titled The Works
.
In 2008, Guthrie won a Grammy Award for Best Historical Album
for her work as a producer of The Live Wire, a re-engineered release of a recording of a live Woody Guthrie concert recorded on a wire recorder.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk musician and singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
and his second wife Marjorie Guthrie
Marjorie Guthrie
Marjorie Mazia Guthrie was for a time the wife of folk musician Woody Guthrie, and was the mother of folk musician Arlo Guthrie and Woody Guthrie archivist Nora Guthrie....
, sister of singer/songwriter Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Davy Guthrie is an American folk singer. Like his father, Woody Guthrie, Arlo often sings songs of protest against social injustice...
, and granddaughter of renowned Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt
Aliza Greenblatt
Aliza Greenblatt was an American Yiddish poet. Her works include such well known Yiddish songs as Fisherlid and Du, Du. Her daughter Marjorie was for a time married to folk musician Woody Guthrie...
. She oversees the Woody Guthrie Foundation
Woody Guthrie Foundation
The Woody Guthrie Foundation, founded in 1972, is a non-profit organization that serves as administrator and caretaker of the Woody Guthrie Archives...
located in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
In 1995, Guthrie approached Billy Bragg
Billy Bragg
Stephen William Bragg , better known as Billy Bragg, is an English alternative rock musician and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes...
, an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
folk/pop singer of similar sociopolitical philosophy, to create music for some of the many poems that her father wrote but never developed into songs. Bragg enlisted the band Wilco
Wilco
Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup has changed frequently, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John...
to help with the project. The resulting albums were titled Mermaid Avenue
Mermaid Avenue
Mermaid Avenue is a 1998 album of previously unheard lyrics written by American folk singer Woody Guthrie, put to music written and performed by British singer Billy Bragg and the American band Wilco. The project was organized by Guthrie's daughter, Nora Guthrie. Mermaid Avenue was released on the...
(released 1998) and Mermaid Avenue Vol. II
Mermaid Avenue Vol. II
Mermaid Avenue Vol. II is a 2000 album of previously unheard lyrics written by American folk singer Woody Guthrie, put to music written and performed by British singer Billy Bragg and the American band Wilco...
(2000), named after the street in Coney Island, New York where she lived with her parents as a child. Guthrie appears in and narrates the 1999 DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Man in the Sand
Man in the Sand
Man in the Sand is a 1999 music documentary that chronicles the collaboration between Billy Bragg and Wilco, which involved the musicians creating new music to accompany lyrics that were written decades earlier by folk singer Woody Guthrie. The project, which was organized by Woody's daughter...
, which chronicles the creation process of the Mermaid Avenue recordings. Later, she undertook a similar project with singer Jonatha Brooke
Jonatha Brooke
Jonatha Brooke is an American folk rock singer-songwriter and guitarist from Illinois.Her music merges elements of folk, rock and pop, often with poignant lyrics and complex harmonies...
, which emerged in 2008 as an album titled The Works
The Works
The Works is a shelved 3D computer animated film which was under development by the staff of the Computer Graphics Lab in association with the New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury, New York. Being worked on sporadically from 1979 to 1986, the film's development and production had...
.
In 2008, Guthrie won a Grammy Award for Best Historical Album
Grammy Award for Best Historical Album
The Grammy Award for Best Historical Album has been presented since 1979. During this time the award had several minor name changes:*In 1979 the award was known as Best Historical Repackage Album*In 1980 it was awarded as Best Historical Reissue...
for her work as a producer of The Live Wire, a re-engineered release of a recording of a live Woody Guthrie concert recorded on a wire recorder.
External links
- Voices of Oklahoma interview with Nora Guthrie. First person interview conducted with Nora Guthrie speaking about her father, Woody Guthrie, on October 7, 2010. Original audio and transcript archived with Voices of Oklahoma oral history project.