Legacy

If there’s one truth that comes out of hearing these Woody Guthrie numbers sung anew by such a wide array of artists, then it is this: They still matter. Guthrie may have written them several decades ago about circumstances, people and places far removed from our present experience, but often a phrase or single line jumps out and rings its universality clear as a bell. From the opening pure bluegrass numbers by Old Crow Medicine Show to the traditional folk of Guthrie contemporary Ramblin’ Jack Elliott to the more modern interpretations of Tom Morello and John Mellencamp, the thread follows a straight line: Guthrie may mean something different to each of these artists, but the bottom line is that he still means something. Donovan talks of being moved by Guthrie’s songs while growing up in Scotland, then reprises the children’s song “Riding in My Car,” which he recorded for his first album. Rosanne Cash, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Lucinda Williams and Judy Collins – back to back – put some strong female energy to Guthrie classics and Jackson Browne’s “You Know the Night” is moving in its directness. The DVD companion adds speeches by actor Jeff Daniels and others, rare Woody footage and more.