Woody Guthrie: The Influence Of Pop Culture

In every era of American history, the population looks towards leaders of the free world and their politicians for much of the guidance and answers that they seek. But often times the lesser influences of “pop culture icons” are often overlooked. When the general masses idolized a single event, trend, or person so much, the latter can have an impact on social trends with enduring and meaningful significance. Often times a prominent musician, for example, has the power to sway the masses, and create social movements that encourage positive (or even sometimes negative) change that encompass a surrounding society. Through his Americana lyrics, and strong embrace of the American dream and spirit, Woody Guthrie has achieved a cultural and iconic status in the American landscape.
Woody (born Woodrow Wilson Guthrie, after the Democratic Presidential nominee) Guthrie was born on July 14th, 1912, in Okemah, Oklahoma, and died October 3rd, 1967. Woody’s father (Charles Edward) was a land speculator, and a cowboy who insisted on teaching Woody American Indian and Western songs
from a young age. His mother (Nora Belle), also loved music, and had a significant influence on Guthrie’s choice in lyrical writing (Partington & John). Guthrie was an “unconventional boy” in his early childhood. He was always observant of his surrounding world, the people, the landscape, and the various types music he was exposed to. The latter formed permanent impressions on him. Often drawing inspiration from his upbringing in the Midwest, his songs often portray a theme of embracing the American spirit.
Guthrie experienced a number of tragic childhood losses, and events that also had influence on his music.
First, he lost his sister Clara through an accidental death involving a fire (fire becomes a theme in many of his later songs), followed by their family’s financial ruin (stemming from many poor land deals that his father was involved in). His mother was institutionalized after many of these events and eventually died of Huntington’s disease in 1930. Guthrie’s home and family suffered permanent devastation. Then 1929 at the age of 18, Guthrie left for Texas due to the busting of the Okemah’s boomtown. In Texas, he met Mary Jennings a sister to Matt Jennings, a prominent Texas musician. He married Mary Jennings in 1933 and together they gave birth to three children. His interaction with Matt Jennings (the brother of Mary) enabled him make his first attempts in a music carrier (Partington &
John).
Guthrie was an extremely significant part of the “folk revival” in the U.S. following World War II. Guthrie honored his musical skills from a young age after being told that words have the power to change people’s way of thinking. Most of his songs are directed towards advocating for the “disenfranchised rights and the giving of voice to justice” (Kennedy & Channing). His guitars often contained provocative words and phrases as revealed in a number of photographs taken during his time. An example of such a phrase is, “This machine kills fascist.” He was using his position of prominence (he was based out of New York City by this time) to convey messages that even though the U.S. had won the war, there were still enemies that the U.S. needed to face and address. He often advocated for strong “American pride” and a sense of American identity. Guthrie’s lyrics are still iconic and culturally important in the United States to this day.