Some never-before-heard music from legendary folk singer Woody Guthrie will be part of a new collection coming in August, and now fans are getting a taste.
Woody At Home – Volumes 1 & 2 will be made up of home recordings made by Guthrie between 1951 and 1952 at his apartment in Beach Haven, Brooklyn, as a way to introduce himself to his publisher. The set is made up of 22 previously unreleased recordings, along with three spoken word tracks.
Among the goodies in the set is a recording of Guthrie’s classic tune “This Land is Your Land” with new verses.
The set also features Guthrie’s only known recording of the song “Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos).” The song, with music by Martin Hoffman, has been covered by artists like Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen and Joan Baez, but now Guthrie’s version, under the name “Deportee (Woody’s Home Tape),” has been released for the first time in honor of his birthday.
The song was inspired by the Jan. 29, 1948, plane crash near Los Gatos Van Canyon, California. Thirty-two people died, including 28 migrant farm workers being deported back to Mexico. Guthrie was inspired to write a poem about the incident after realizing news reports only mentioned the crew members by name, referring to the farm workers simply as “deportees.” The poem was later put to music.
Woody At Home – Volumes 1 & 2 will be released Aug. 14 digitally, on CD and on vinyl, and is available for preorder now. The collection will include previously unreleased family photographs, artwork and lyric sheets.
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