Woody Guthrie Birthday Bash
Annual Round Robin Songfest

Woody Guthrie, the great American folk musician, was born in Okemah, Oklahoma, on July 14, 1912, and he lived in New York City off and on from 1940 until his death from Huntington’s disease in 1967. Beginning in 2001, various folk performers would come together in Lower Manhattan one Sunday each July to celebrate Woody’s birthday with a good old-fashioned hootenanny. Some of the personnel changed from year to year, while others returned time and again. Some were full time working musicians, while others were talented semi-professionals: teachers, psychologists, editors, librarians, archivists, and whatnot who played an occasional gig. All shared a love of Woody’s music, and when called upon, they backed each other up with vocal and instrumental accompaniment. The first six Woody Guthrie Birthday Bashes took place at CB’s 313 Gallery, the acoustic twin of CBGB/Omfug, the famed punk-rock club. In 2007, after CB’s 313 Gallery and CBGB/Omfug closed, the Birthday Bash moved across the street to the Bowery Poetry Club.

Past Woody Guthrie Birthday Bash performers have included Hillel Arnold, Fred Backus, Jordan Brand, Oscar Brand, Toby Fagenson, Jessica Feinbloom, Emma Graves, Robin Greenstein, Michael Imperiale, David Kleiman, Joel Landy, Chris Lang, Mimi LaValley, Eric Levine, George Levine, Mark Maniak, Ethan Miller, Lorcan Otway, Sandy Pliskin, Anne Price, Jimmy Rao, Carlos Rosello, James Rubin, Erica Smith, Steve Suffet, Alex Talavera, Gina Tlamsa, Carlos Vazquez, and Frank Woerner. The list grows every year.

The CD

Open Your Hearts to the Paradise / The Best of the Woody Guthrie Birthday Bash / New York City 2001-2008, featuring 13 artists and 17 tracks, is now available for purchase from CD Baby. Anne Price and Steve Suffet compiled this CD by carefully going through whatever live recordings they could find from the first eight Woody Guthrie Birthday Bashes. These were all “house mixes” taken from the sound board and were never intended to be released to the public. Recording engineer Ray Korona did what he could to sweeten them up, but for some years, including 2001, no usable recording was available. Please click here for information on how to order. The price is $15 each.

Open Your Hearts to the Paradise is dedicated to the memory of the late Eric Levine (1957-2008), a talented musician and untiring disability rights activist, who performed in the first seven Woody Guthrie Birthday Bashes.

Next Year's Event

• Link to Steve Suffet's home page.
• Link to Anne Price's home page.
• Link to Eric Levine tribute page.
• Link to MP3s from 2007 Woody Guthrie Birthday Bash.
• Link to MP3s from 2008 Woody Guthrie Birthday Bash.
• Link to MP3s from 2009 Woody Guthrie Birthday Bash.
• Link to video from 2009 Woody Guthrie Birthday Bash, Part 1.
• Link to video from 2009 Woody Guthrie Birthday Bash, Part 2.
• Link to video from 2009 Woody Guthrie Birthday Bash, Part 3.