Album Notes

In honor of Woody Guthrie's 100th birthday in 2012 folk stalwart John McCutcheon has assembled an all-star cast of songs and musicians to honor America's most enduring folksong writer. Despite help from Willie Nelson, Tommy Emmanuel, Kathy Mattea, Tim O'Brien, Stuart Duncan, Tom Chapin, Tom Paxton, Maria Muldaur and more, "this is not a tribute album," insists McCutcheon. "Rather it is very contemporary look at America through the lens of Guthrie's songs. The issues of Guthrie's day: immigration, workers' rights, plundering scoundrels, are all in evidence today. But there are still babies to put to sleep, lovers to serenade, bold promises to make." Both a student of and an heir to the Guthrie legacy, McCutcheon, a 6-time Grammy nominee, offers fresh new arrangements and exciting new interpretations of many of Woody's most well-known songs. Plus, he adds a couple of previously-uncompleted songs that he co-authored. With this, his 34-th recording, McCutcheon proves again that he is both a consummate musician, a deft producer, and a clear-eyed visionary, able to, as the Washington Post stated, "breathe brilliant new life into classic works."