Of Alice’s Restaurant, from Farm Aid, 2008

 

Arlo Guthrie: The Bard of the Backroads

The Song That Stirred His Soul

Arlo Guthrie didn’t choose music—it was his inheritance, a thread he couldn’t unravel. Born July 10, 1947, in Brooklyn, New York, his primary motivator was legacy. Son of folk titan Woody Guthrie, Arlo grew up with a guitar as his birthright, surrounded by troubadours like Pete Seeger. Yet it wasn’t duty that drove him—it was the joy of spinning yarns through song, a way to laugh and cry with the world he roamed.

A Life of Roots and Roads

Arlo’s biography is a patchwork of folk and freedom. Raised in Coney Island, he weathered his father’s Huntington’s disease, a shadow that deepened his bond with music. His mother, Marjorie, a dancer, kept the family afloat, moving them to Howard Beach, then Massachusetts. Arlo flunked out of college in Montana, choosing busking over books. Married to Jackie Hyde from 1969 until her 2012 death, he raised five kids, grounding his rambling spirit. A hippie heart with a preacher’s wit, he’s lived as folk’s everyman.

A Career of Tales and Tunes

Arlo’s career is solo by name, communal by nature. No fixed band, but he’s jammed with The Guthrie Family, including son Abe (keyboards) and daughter Sarah Lee (vocals), plus pals like Ry Cooder. His Woodstock ‘69 set—billed with Joan Baez—made waves, as did his bromance with Seeger. TV brought The Byrds of Paradise (1994); film gave us Alice’s Restaurant (1969), where he starred as himself. Awards? A 2008 Grammy nod for Live at Carnegie Hall, a 2020 Lifetime Achievement from the Folk Alliance, and a symbolic torch from Woody’s legacy.

His biggest hits: “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” (Guthrie), an 18-minute 1967 satire; “City of New Orleans” (Steve Goodman), a 1972 train ode; “Coming into Los Angeles” (Guthrie), a Woodstock-era ramble; and “Massachusetts” (Guthrie), a gentle state anthem. Controversy? His 1967 littering arrest—immortalized in “Alice’s”—foiled his draft, a hippie hero moment. A 2016 Trump critique riled conservative fans, but Arlo, ever the peacenik, just strummed on.

The Legacy Still Wanders

Arlo Guthrie’s a folk poet—shaggy, sharp, and soulful. From Vietnam protests to quiet barns, his voice carries Woody’s dust and his own light, a road-worn gift that keeps on giving.

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