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WOODY COMES HOME: Woody Guthrie special coverage in Sunday's Tulsa World
Published: 2/22/2012 11:33 AM
Last Modified: 2/22/2012 6:27 PM

John Mellencamp. Courtesy

This year marks the centennial of influential folk icon Woody Guthrie's birth.

On Sunday, the Tulsa World celebrates with the rest of the country -- and the globe. Check out our coverage.

Plus, get ready for a week of events, beginning March 5, right here in Tulsa. The week ends on March 10 with a blowout concert at Brady Theater, where Woody's son Arlo, along with John Mellencamp, Rosanne Cash, Hanson, the Flaming Lips and more. They'll all perform Woody's timeless tunes.

Tickets are still available at tulsaworld.com/brady.

Here's a peek at my exclusive interview with John Mellencamp, who talks about the indelible print Woody's left in his life and music.

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Mellencamp’s one of the top-selling and charting American musicians with hits that include “Pink Houses,” “Lonely Ol’ Night,” “Rain On The Scarecrow,” “Paper In Fire,” “Crumblin’ Down,” “Small Town,” “R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.,” “Hurts So Good,” “Jack And Diane” and dozens more.

But, “I’ve stolen so many lines from him (Woody Guthrie) it’s ridiculous,” he said, then laughed.

“That’s really the question you should ask everybody: ‘So how much s--- have you stolen from Woody?’ ... Oh, a lot. But if you look around at all contemporary songwriters who do pop songs. They’ll tell you, ‘Well, I stole this from Woody, I got that from Woody.’?”

Guthrie often did the same thing. He’d use a melody and put his own words to it, or he’d rework song lyrics to make them his own, Mellencamp said.

“Of course Woody was a huge thief himself and proud of it. He’d take music and write his own lyrics. He’d rewrite other people’s songs.”

That’s how most art is created, Mellencamp said.

“I mean, people would say, ‘Woody, that song sounds just like so-and-so or such-and-such and he’d say, ‘Well, gosh-darn it, I meant for it to!’?”

Read more in Sunday's Tulsa World.

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This Land is Your Land: A Woody Guthrie Centennial Concert
Performing: Arlo Guthrie, John Mellencamp, Rosanne Cash, The Flaming Lips, Hanson, Old Crow Medicine Show, Tim O’Brien, Jimmy LaFave and more.
When: Doors open 6:30 p.m., showtime 7:30 p.m. March 10
Where: Brady Theater, 105 W. Brady St.
Tickets: All ages. Tickets are $45-$250, plus fees, available at Reasor’s locations, Starship, Buy for Less, by calling 1-866-977-6849 and online at tulsaworld.com/brady

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Plus! Here's a video roundup of some of his work.

Here, he covers Guthrie's "Do Re Mi":

"Rain on the Scarecrow" from Farm Aid, 1985:

"Our Country":

"Human Wheels":

"Pink Houses":

"Authority Song":

"Paper in Fire":

"Small Town":

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Barrelhouse Beat

Barrelhouse: A colloquialism describing the low saloons at the turn of the century (19th) that served whiskey straight out of the barrel. It's also a reference to the type of music played in those venues. Ex: Barrelhouse music.

Beat: The time or timing. Ex: The band played with a solid beat. Also used as a term describing a reporters specific area of expertise. Ex: The music beat.

About me: I'm Okie born and raised, and have lived all over the state: Oklahoma City, Enid, Moore, Norman, Edmond and Tulsa. I am a music geek, writer, graphic designer and amateur photographer and videographer who's followed the Tulsa and regional music scene since I moved to Green Country more than 10 years ago. I've been enmeshed in Tulsa's varied and vibrant musical night life, what some of us affectionately call a modernized throwback to the Barrelhouse scene, since that time. I fell in love with it. I fell hard.

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Archive

Past Articles By Jennifer Chancellor

2/17/2013		Tulsan Johnny Polygon a rapper who delights in hometown crowd
2/15/2013		The Who brings nostalgia, ingenuity to BOK Center
2/15/2013		Lady Gaga tour is canceled
2/15/2013		Audio Adrenaline concert moves to April 7
2/14/2013		The Who brings 'other' rock opera to Tulsa's BOK Center
2/14/2013		Okies nominated for several top ACM awards
2/14/2013		Epic moments of rock 'n' roll history in Tulsa
2/14/2013		The Who talks about 'Quadrophenia' rock opera ahead of BOK show Thursday
2/14/2013		Shawnee songstress Samantha Crain to play Tulsa CD release show Friday
2/14/2013		Rick Springfield to play River Spirit Event Center on Saturday
2/14/2013		Local music roundup: Vaudvillian sideshows? Nerd nights? Live music? Parties? Yes, yes, yes and yes.
2/14/2013		Eli Young band coming to Brady Theater for first time

Jennifer Chancellor's Blog Archive:

2/2013	1/2013	12/2012	11/2012	10/2012	9/2012
8/2012	7/2012	6/2012	5/2012	4/2012	3/2012
2/2012	1/2012	12/2011	11/2011	10/2011	9/2011
8/2011	7/2011	6/2011	5/2011	4/2011	3/2011
2/2011	1/2011	12/2010	11/2010	10/2010	9/2010
8/2010	7/2010	6/2010	5/2010	4/2010	3/2010
2/2010	1/2010	12/2009	11/2009	10/2009	9/2009
8/2009	7/2009	6/2009	5/2009	4/2009	3/2009
2/2009	1/2009	12/2008	11/2008	10/2008	9/2008
8/2008	7/2008	6/2008	5/2008	4/2008	3/2008
2/2008	1/2008	12/2007	11/2007	10/2007	9/2007

Jennifer Chancellor
BarrelhouseBeat

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