That Ribbon of Highway – Woody Guthrie in the Northwest

Submitted by Lee Ann Ufford, Program chair, friends of the Steilacoom Library.

Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) was a famed singer, songwriter and composer of folk, country, blues and protest music. Perhaps best known for “This Land is Your Land” the native Oklahoman lived in New York City for many years but it was his brief time in the Northwest that inspired a creative burst. Hired in 1941 by the Department of the Interior to narrate and sing in a documentary on the construction of federal dams on the Columbia River, Guthrie wrote 26 songs in one month, including “Roll On, Columbia, Roll On.” Of the Northwest, he said “it’s a paradise.” And he labeled the Grand Coulee Dam project “the greatest thing that man has ever done.”

Historian, teacher, folksinger and actor Joel Underwood performs an hour of lecture, theatrical drama and concert on Saturday, February 22 as he brings Guthrie and his music alive. Sing along to “Roll On, Columbia,” “Pastures of Plenty” and “This Land is Your Land” and learn about the anecdotes and tragedy behind the man and the songs. Bob Dylan said of Guthrie’s music, “The songs themselves were really beyond category. They had the infinite sweep of humanity in them.”

After teaching high school history for twenty-five years, Underwood received a master’s degree in American History with a focus on folk and protest music. He received a Woody Guthrie Fellowship and had access to the Woody Guthrie Archives in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There he researched the singer’s time in the World War II Merchant Marines. Underwood tours as a musician, both as a soloist and with his daughter, and is part of the Speakers’ Bureau for Humanities Washington. This program is made possible by the Friends of the Steilacoom Library, the Steilacoom Historical Museum Association (SHMA) and Humanities Washington. Don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy an afternoon of history and song.

What: That Ribbon of Highway: Woody Guthrie in the Northwest with Joel Underwood
When: Saturday, February 22 at 4 P.M.
Where: Steilacoom Historical Museum Education Room, 1801 Rainier Street, Steilacoom
Admission: Free