Woody Guthrie at 100

(Woody Guthrie Foundation and Archives)Woody Guthrie would have been 100 yesterday. He was a prolific songwriter and writer, a champion of the underdog, and traveled across most of America. His life was cut tragically short by Huntington's disease at the age of 55. The list of musicians he's influenced is very long, and there have been several tribute concerts and memorial events this year. (

Woody Guthrie's Birthday

Over at The Inverse Square, Thomas Levenson has a nice, small compilation of Woody Guthrie tunes for Guthrie's birthday, plus a follow-up post. It's neat to hear Woody's "Tom Joad" followed by Bruce Springsteen's underrated, haunting "Ghost of Tom Joad." As Pete Seeger would say, that's part of the folk tradition.Update: Speaking of Tom Joad, Digby's post "Let Them Eat the Grapes of Wrath" (