WFDU-FM’sTRADITIONS Playlist for July 22, 2007
Script by Millard Lampell
Words and Music by Woody Guthrie
A re-creation of the historic 1956 musical revue
On March 17, 1956 a musical revue in honor of Woody Guthrie was performed at Pythians Hall in NYC. Original titled was “California to the New York Island: Being a Pocketful of Brags, Blues, Bad Men Ballads, Love Songs, Okie Laments and Children’s Catcalls by Woody Guthrie” , the name was shortened to “Bound For Glory”. The revue featured a script put together by Millard Lampell, a member of the Almanac Singers featuring the words and music of Woody Guthrie. The revue became a look at America through the eyes of one man. The original production featured Lee Hays and Earl Robinson as the narrators and the performers included Pete Seeger, Rev. Gary Davis, Ed McCurdy, the Kossoy Sisters and other folk names of that era.
The original performance was recognized as a milestone moment of the folk revival. Joe Klein, in his biography of Woody Guthrie, called the evening “the beginning of Woody Guthrie’s canonization”. In 1957, Will Geer adapted portions of the script to create an LP called “Bound For Glory” that was released on Folkways Records, and following Woody’s death it was adapted for use in the memorial concerts at Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl, the recordings that were released on LP.
In honor of the 50th anniversary or the original concert, WFDU-FM presented a recreation of the original script, featuring a talented cast of contemporary musicians. Three time Grammy Award winner Tom Chapin narrated as the voice of Woody Guthrie along with Robert Cohen of the Philadelphia Folksong Society. The music was performed by:
Danny Bakan Dirty Stayout Skifflers with Rick Nestler Greg Greenway Hope Machine Joe Jencks Karen Mal David Massengill Rik Palieri Laurie MacAllister & Abbie Gardner of Red Molly Danny Schmidt Toby Walker Amy Carol Webb Bethany Yarrow & Rufus Cappadocia
The performance was recorded on November 10, 2006 in front of a live audience at the 2006 Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference – held at Kutsher’s Resort and Conference Center in Monticello, NY.
Our thanks to the Woody Guthrie Foundation for their permission to produce and broadcast this production. Please visit their website at
www.woodyguthrie.org
or write to them at
info@woodyguthrie.org
The performance:
ACT 1
introduction –
Ron Olesko
Opening narration – Dr. Robert Cohen
Narration (as Woody Guthrie) –
Tom Chapin
THIS TRAIN IS BOUND FOR GLORY
HOPE MACHINE
PHILADELPHIA LAWYER
LAURIE MACALLISTER AND ABBIE GARDNER OF RED MOLLY
OKLAHOMA HILLS
THE DIRTY STAYOUT SKIFFLERS WITH RICK NESTLER
SO LONG, IT’S BEEN GOOD TO KNOW YOU
BETHANY YARROW & RUFUS CAPPADOCIA
THIS TRAIN IS BOUND FOR GLORY
HOPE MACHINE
CURLY HEADED BABY
KAREN MAL
I’D RATHER DRINK MUDDY WATER
(not written by Woody Guthrie, but it was part of the original 1956 script)
LITTLE TOBY WALKER
GYPSY DAVY
KAREN MAL
JOHN HARDY
GREG GREENWAY
GOIN DOWN THIS OLD DUSTY ROAD
AMY CAROL WEBB
PRETTY BOY FLOYD
JOE JENCKS
TALKING DUST BOWL
RICK NESTLER
VIGILANTE MAN
HOPE MACHINE
GO TO SLEEP MY LITTLE HOBO (HOBO’S LULLABY)
AMY CAROL WEBB
DO RE MI
DAVID MASSENGILL
PASTURES OF PLENTY
BETHANY YARROW & RUFUS CAPPADOCIA
HARD TRAVELIN
RIK PALIERI
THIS TRAIN IS BOUND FOR GLORY
ensemble with
HOPE MACHINE
ACT 2
TOM CHAPIN
– narrator (as the voice of Woody Guthrie)
WAY UP IN THAT NORTHWEST
LAURIE MACALLISTER AND ABBIE GARDNER OF RED MOLLY
GRAND COULEE DAM
GREG GREENWAY
ROLL ON COLUMBIA
DANNY BAKAN
WAY UP IN THAT NORTHWEST
LAURIE MACALLISTER AND ABBIE GARDNER OF RED MOLLY
JACKHAMMER JOHN
LITTLE TOBY WALKER
UNION MAID
JOE JENCKS
REUBEN JAMES
DANNY SCHMIDT
THE BIGGEST THING THAT MAN HAS EVER DONE (Great Historical Bum)
DANNY BAKAN
TALKING MERCHANT MARINE
DAVID MASSENGILL
ROUND AND ROUND HITLERS GRAVE
RIK PALIERI
with
THE DIRTY STAYOUT SKIFFLERS
WAKE UP
DAVID MASSENGILL
SLEEP EYE
BETHANY YARROW & RUFUS CAPPADOCIA
PUT YOUR FINGER IN THE AIR
RIK PALIERI
THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND
entire ensemble
(To view pictures of this performance and the 2006 NERFA conference, please visit
Ron Olesko’s Folk Music Notebook at www.ronolesko.blogspot.com).
Guest: ELIZA GILKYSON
ELIZA GILKYSON Beauty Way
ELIZA GILKYSON Lights of Santa Fe
ELIZA GILKYSON Angel and Delilah
ELIZA GILKYSON Requiem
ELIZA GILKYSON Green Fields
CAST Now is the Cool of theDay