The GRAMMY Museum, Woody Guthrie Publications and The Woody Guthrie Foundation & Archives Announce Additional Details for Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, March 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The GRAMMY Museum, in conjunction with Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc. and the Woody Guthrie Foundation & Archives, has announced additional details about their plans to commemorate the life and career of folk music legend Woody Guthrie in Los Angeles.  Designed to celebrate Guthrie's extraordinary body of work and impact on American music, Los Angeles' Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration will take place April 7-14 and will include educational programming, a city dedication, special performances, a conference at The University of Southern California, films, lectures and a special tribute concert.

"The goal of The Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration is not just to pay tribute to Guthrie's obvious contributions to American music, but to also broaden the national understanding of his cultural impact," said GRAMMY Museum Executive Director, Bob Santelli.  "It's truly an honor to be producing this all-star series of events here in our hometown of Los Angeles."

Kicking off the GRAMMY Museum's Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration Week is a free, introductory lecture presented by Bob Santelli, Executive Director of the museum at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, April 7 in the museum's Clive Davis Theater.  Santelli will describe Guthrie's importance to American music and outline his life and legacy.  After the lecture, Santelli will sign copies of his just-released book This Land Is Your Land: Woody Guthrie and the Journey of an American Folk Song.  The book can be purchased in the GRAMMY Museum store before or after the lecture.

Continuing the celebration will be "An Evening With Arlo Guthrie" at The GRAMMY Museum at L.A. LIVE on Monday, April 9.  As the museum's flagship public programming series, "An Evening With," will feature an informal interview, moderated by Santelli, and a performance by Arlo Guthrie, Woody's son.  On Thursday, April 12, the museum will host an illustrated presentation titled "Collecting Woody," hosted by Guthrie collector Barry Ollman.

The museum will also present a free viewing of specially-curated, Guthrie-related documentaries.  The films will be shown at 2 p.m. on listed dates in the Clive Davis Theater and are free to members and the general public.

Films to be screened include:
Saturday, April 7:  "Woody Guthrie: Ain't Got No Home"  (Directed by Peter Frumkin, 90 minutes, 2006)

Sunday, April 8: "A Vision Shared: A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly" (Directed by Jim Brown, 72 minutes, 1988)

Monday, April 9: "Woody Guthrie: This Machine Kills Fascists"  (Directed by Stephen Gammond, 2 hrs. 40 minutes, 2005)

Thursday, April 12: "Roll On, Columbia: Woody Guthrie & the Bonneville Power Administration"  (Directed by Michael Majdic & Denise Matthews, 57 minutes, 2000)

Sunday, April 15: "Man in the Sand: The Making of Mermaid Avenue"  (Directed by Kim Hopkins, 67 minutes, 1999)

Also on April 12, Councilwoman Jan Perry will join Los Angeles city officials, representatives from the GRAMMY Museum, and the family of Woody Guthrie to honor the life and legacy of the late folk singer.  In recognition of the contributions that Woody Guthrie made to the musical history of the nation and of Los Angeles, Perry authored a motion to name the intersection at Fourth Street and Main Street in downtown Los Angeles as "Woody Guthrie Square."

Educational Conference
"This Great And Crowded City: Woody Guthrie's Los Angeles," the April 14 University of Southern California conference will feature distinguished scholars, musicians, and writers who will discuss Guthrie's itinerant wanderings through California and the far West, the Dust Bowl culture he drew upon in his songs of commentary and protest, and the backdrop of Los Angeles as it emerged from the Depression at the dawn of the Second World War. 

"We are tremendously excited about this partnership forged between USC's Visions and Voices program and the GRAMMY Museum," said William Deverell, Professor of History at The University of Southern California.  "This celebration of Woody Guthrie's life, work, and legacy is going to be as fun as it is educational, and we're thrilled to be able to play a role."

For more information and to register for the conference, visit https://web-app.usc.edu/ecal/custom/113/index.php?category=Item&item=0.893771&active_categry=Music. Registration is required.

Concert
The pinnacle of the Los Angeles celebration will take place on April 14 at 7:30 p.m., with the second installment of This Land Is Your Land ~ The Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration Concert at Club Nokia at L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles.  Performing classic Guthrie songs will be Jackson Browne, David Crosby & Graham Nash, John Doe, Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion, Joe Henry, Kris Kristofferson, Tom Morello, Van Dyke Parks, Joel Rafael, Rob Wasserman and More. Ticket prices range from $40 - $95.  Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster outlets or online at www.ticketmaster.com and from 10am-5pm, Mon-Fri at the STAPLES Center Box Office located at 1111 S. Figueroa St.  No fees are charged at the STAPLES Center box office or at the Club Nokia box office on show days (open after 5 PM).

The Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration is one of the largest and most comprehensive Centennial celebrations ever staged for an American music icon.  For the most up-to-date information and a complete schedule of events for the entire Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration, visit www.woody100.com.

*Lineup subject to change

About The GRAMMY Museum
Paying tribute to music's rich cultural history, this one-of-a-kind, 21st-century Museum explores and celebrates the enduring legacies of all forms of music, the creative process, the art and technology of the recording process, and the history of the premier recognition of excellence in recorded music — the GRAMMY Award. The GRAMMY Museum features 30,000 square feet of interactive and multimedia exhibits located within L.A. LIVE, the downtown Los Angeles sports, entertainment and residential district. Through thought-provoking and dynamic public and educational programs and exhibits, guests will experience music from a never-before-seen insider perspective that only The GRAMMY Museum can deliver.  www.grammymuseum.org

About Woody Guthrie Publications
Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc. maintains Woody Guthrie's catalog of music and is business administrator for Woody Guthrie's creative works. Additionally Woody Guthrie Publications produces and sponsors new works based on his life, legacy and creative catalog. www.woodyguthrie.org

About The Woody Guthrie Foundation & Archives
Established in 1972, the Woody Guthrie Foundation is a non-profit organization that serves as administrator and caretaker of the Woody Guthrie Archives.  Dedicated to the preservation and dissemination of information about Woody Guthrie's vast cultural legacy, the Woody Guthrie Archives houses the largest collection of Woody Guthrie material in the world.  Since its opening in 1996, the Woody Guthrie Archives has been a major success becoming an important resource for the general public, musicians, singers, songwriters, scholars, and public and private cultural institutions wishing to access the research collection. The Archives contains a wealth of primary source material pertinent to the study of Woody Guthrie, and his life and times in America during the 20th Century. www.woodyguthrie.org

About Visions and Voices
Visions and Voices is a university-wide arts and humanities initiative that is unparalleled in higher education. Established in fall 2006 by President C. L. Max Nikias during his tenure as provost, Visions and Voices fulfills the goals set forth in USC's strategic plan; communicates USC's core values to students; and affirms the human spirit. Highlighting USC's excellence in the arts and humanities, the initiative provides an inspiring and provocative experience for all USC students, regardless of their major or class level, and challenges them to expand their perspectives and become world-class citizens who will eagerly make a positive impact throughout the world.

About Club Nokia
Club Nokia, a multi-use music, entertainment and concert venue--located in the heart of the acclaimed L.A. LIVE sports, residential and entertainment district--accommodates over 2,300 guests.  Featuring state-of-the-art acoustics designed for live entertainment, Club Nokia is the perfect venue for emerging music acts and cultural shows while also providing excellent space for corporate events and private parties.  Club Nokia has been honored two consecutive years at the annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards-in 2009 as "Best New Major Concert Venue" and in 2010 as "Nightclub Of The Year"; along with a Zagat Award for Best Live Music Club in Los Angeles (2009).

SOURCE The GRAMMY Museum