Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10, 1947) is an American folk singer. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of folk singer and composer Woody Guthrie and his wife Marjorie Mazia Guthrie, who was a one-time professional dancer with the Martha Graham Company and founder of the Committee to Combat Huntington's Disease. He graduated from the Stockbridge School of Massachusetts in 1965, and briefly attended Rocky Mountain College.
His most famous work is "Alice's Restaurant Massacree", a talking blues song that lasts 18 minutes and 20 seconds (in its original recorded version; Guthrie has been known to spin the story out to forty-five minutes in concert). Guthrie has pointed out that this was also the exact length of one of the famous gaps in Richard Nixon's Watergate tapes. The Alice in the song is Alice Brock, who now runs an art gallery in Provincetown.
The song, a bitingly satirical protest against the Vietnam War draft, is based on a true incident. In the song, Guthrie is called up for a draft examination, and rejected as unfit for military service as a result of a criminal record — consisting in its entirety of a single arrest, court appearance, fine and clean-up order for littering. On the DVD commentary for the film, Guthrie states that the events as presented in the song are true to real-life occurrences.
For a short period of time after its release in 1967, "Alice's Restaurant" was in frequent rotation on nearly every college and counter-culture radio station in the country — quite an accomplishment for an 18-minute song (albeit in an era not averse to extended jams). Indeed, it became a symbol of the late '60s and for many it defined an attitude and lifestyle that were lived out across the country in the ensuing years. Furthermore, many stations across the States have made playing "Alice's Restaurant" on Thanksgiving Day a tradition.
A 1969 film, directed and co-written by Arthur Penn, was based on the story. In addition to acting in this film, also called Alice's Restaurant, Guthrie has had minor roles in several movies and television series. Guthrie's memorable appearance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival was documented in the Michael Wadleigh film Woodstock.
In 1972 Guthrie made famous Steve Goodman's song "City of New Orleans", a paean to long-distance rail travel. Curiously, Arlo's first trip on that train was in December 2005. He also had a minor hit with his song "Coming into Los Angeles", which was played at the 1969 Woodstock Festival, and success with "The Motorcycle Song". Guthrie's 1976 album Amigo received a 5-star (highest rating) from Rolling Stone, and may be his best-received work; unfortunately that milestone album is as rarely heard today as are Guthrie's earlier Warner Brothers albums — although each boasts compelling folk music accompanied by top-notch musicians including Ry Cooder.
Like his father, Woody Guthrie, Arlo often sings songs of protest against social injustice. He collaborated with poet Adrian Mitchell to tell the story of Chilean folk singer and activist Víctor Jara in song. He regularly performs with folk legend Pete Seeger - one of his father's long time partners whom he admires, follows and learns from in many ways, musically and intellectually.
In 1991, Guthrie bought the church that had served as Alice and Ray Brock's former home in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and converted it to the Guthrie Center, an interfaith meeting place that serves people of all religions. Find out more about this folk legend at his website http://www.arlo.net/
Research info gathered from: www.wikipedia.org
Visit my ezine: http://www.concelebratory.blogspot.com/
and personal blog: http://www.copyat5.blogspot.com/
His most famous work is "Alice's Restaurant Massacree", a talking blues song that lasts 18 minutes and 20 seconds (in its original recorded version; Guthrie has been known to spin the story out to forty-five minutes in concert). Guthrie has pointed out that this was also the exact length of one of the famous gaps in Richard Nixon's Watergate tapes. The Alice in the song is Alice Brock, who now runs an art gallery in Provincetown.
The song, a bitingly satirical protest against the Vietnam War draft, is based on a true incident. In the song, Guthrie is called up for a draft examination, and rejected as unfit for military service as a result of a criminal record — consisting in its entirety of a single arrest, court appearance, fine and clean-up order for littering. On the DVD commentary for the film, Guthrie states that the events as presented in the song are true to real-life occurrences.
For a short period of time after its release in 1967, "Alice's Restaurant" was in frequent rotation on nearly every college and counter-culture radio station in the country — quite an accomplishment for an 18-minute song (albeit in an era not averse to extended jams). Indeed, it became a symbol of the late '60s and for many it defined an attitude and lifestyle that were lived out across the country in the ensuing years. Furthermore, many stations across the States have made playing "Alice's Restaurant" on Thanksgiving Day a tradition.
A 1969 film, directed and co-written by Arthur Penn, was based on the story. In addition to acting in this film, also called Alice's Restaurant, Guthrie has had minor roles in several movies and television series. Guthrie's memorable appearance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival was documented in the Michael Wadleigh film Woodstock.
In 1972 Guthrie made famous Steve Goodman's song "City of New Orleans", a paean to long-distance rail travel. Curiously, Arlo's first trip on that train was in December 2005. He also had a minor hit with his song "Coming into Los Angeles", which was played at the 1969 Woodstock Festival, and success with "The Motorcycle Song". Guthrie's 1976 album Amigo received a 5-star (highest rating) from Rolling Stone, and may be his best-received work; unfortunately that milestone album is as rarely heard today as are Guthrie's earlier Warner Brothers albums — although each boasts compelling folk music accompanied by top-notch musicians including Ry Cooder.
Like his father, Woody Guthrie, Arlo often sings songs of protest against social injustice. He collaborated with poet Adrian Mitchell to tell the story of Chilean folk singer and activist Víctor Jara in song. He regularly performs with folk legend Pete Seeger - one of his father's long time partners whom he admires, follows and learns from in many ways, musically and intellectually.
In 1991, Guthrie bought the church that had served as Alice and Ray Brock's former home in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and converted it to the Guthrie Center, an interfaith meeting place that serves people of all religions. Find out more about this folk legend at his website http://www.arlo.net/
Research info gathered from: www.wikipedia.org
Visit my ezine: http://www.concelebratory.blogspot.com/
and personal blog: http://www.copyat5.blogspot.com/
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