Woody Guthrie Center

06/24/2026

“I crossed many states just to stand here now, my face all hot with tears,
I crossed city, and valley, desert, and stream, to bring my body here:
My history and future blaze bright in me and all my joy and pain
Go through my head on our mountain bed where I smell your hair again.”

06/23/2026

On this day in 1998, “Mermaid Avenue” was released. This album of previously unheard lyrics written by Woody Guthrie held in the Woody Guthrie Archives, put to music written and performed by British singer Billy Bragg and the American band Wilco, was the first of several such projects organized by Woody's daughter, Nora. According to American Songwriter Magazine, “The Mermaid Avenue project is essential for showing that Woody Guthrie could illuminate what was going on inside of him as well as he could detail the plight of his fellow man.” A second volume of recordings, “Mermaid Avenue Vol. II,” followed in 2000 and both were collected in a box set alongside volume three in 2012 as “Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions.”

Wilco and Billy Bragg are set to perform songs from the Mermaid Avenue albums live for the first time at Wilco’s own Solid Sound festival this Friday.

Pictured: Sears Roebuck 12 String Acoustic Guitar — owned by Jeff Tweedy, this guitar was used for the Mermaid Avenue recordings. On loan from Jeff Tweedy.

06/22/2026

“Tell the truth. Sing with passion. Work with laughter. Love with heart. ‘Cause that's all that matters in the end.” – Kris Kristofferson

Today we remember Kris Kristofferson on what would have been his 90th birthday. In 2016, he received the Woody Guthrie Prize in recognition of his commitment to using music as a force for social change.

06/20/2026

This Woody Guthrie-themed quilt was created by the Tulsa Modern Quilt Guild in 2016. This beautiful, meticulous piece has stitching that includes “This Land is Your Land” text, guitar images, and other Woody-related graphics. The quilt was donated to the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, which then donated this work of art to the Woody Guthrie Center so that we could share it with visitors year-round. Be sure to look for it next time you visit the center.

Designed by Kris Farnworth and quilted by Brenda Shreve.

Learn more about the Tulsa Modern Quilt Guild: https://tulsamodernquiltguild.com/

06/18/2026

06/18/2026

Next week, the Woody Guthrie Center presents the world premiere of “Woody Guthrie and the Ghost of Tom Joad Today,” a new documentary narrated by Rosanne Cash exploring the life, work and enduring impact of Woody Guthrie. The screening will take place on June 25, 2026, at Circle Cinema.

Writer and director Greg Mitchell will share insights into the making of the film, from research and archival discoveries to the process of bringing Guthrie’s story to the screen. The evening will also include a live musical performance that reflects the spirit of Guthrie’s legacy.

Learn more and get tickets: woodyguthriecenter.org/event/woody-guthrie-and-the-ghost-of-tom-joad-today

Watch the trailer: vimeo.com/1188722393?fl=pl&fe=cm

“Well done! And perfect for the spirit of the times." -- Joe Klein, author of "Primary Colors," "Woody Guthrie: A Life," and other books New documentary written and directed by Greg Mitchell, narrated by Rosanne Cash, with songs by Woody Guthrie and Bruce Springsteen, coming to PBS starting July 1...

06/17/2026

“Eisler on the go,
Eisler on the move
Brother is on the Vinegar truck and
I don't know what I'll do” – Woody Guthrie, Eisler on the Go

One of the 12 songs featured in the current exhibition, “A Dozen Loops: The Radical Voice of Woody Guthrie,” “Eisler on the Go” was written by Woody in response to the exiled composer Hanns Eisler.

Hanns Eisler (1898-1962) was a German-born, Jewish, Marxist modernist composer whose career was shaped by exile and political struggle. Sometimes called “the Karl Marx of Communism in music,” he believed deeply in music's social purpose, writing, “How necessary music is and how important it can be in the greatest struggles for a new world.”

After the N***s rose to power in 1933, Eisler’s music was banned due to his politics and Jewish heritage, as were the works of his collaborator Bertolt Brecht. He fled Europe and immigrated to the United States in 1938, but his leftist views soon brought him before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). When asked if he had ever been a Communist Party member, he replied: “I would be a swindler it I called myself a communist. I have no right. The communist underground workers in every country have proven that they are heroes. I am not a hero. I am a composer.” Eisler was deported in 1948.

The song remained unrecorded until Billy Bragg and Wilco set the lyrics to newly written music on their 1998 album of unrecorded Woody lyrics, “Mermaid Avenue.” Listen here: youtube.com/watch?v=J0Zn-1UxYRo

06/16/2026

06/16/2026

“A song will shoot straighter than a long bore 32-20, and do more damage than the biggest cannon.” – Woody