MUSIC
fortune, but most people don’t last long in what’s left of the
music industry.”
Guthrie considers himself a “legacy” musician with one
song that has lasted the test of time.
“I’d be surprised if I was remembered, but Alice’s Restaurant
96
has become a song associated with Thanksgiving and for
that reason, I think, it will be around for a long time,” he says.
The song was named to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002
and the album was added to The National Archives last year.
“Music is like another language and it is a wonderful language
to know,” Guthrie says. “I’ve been all over the world. You
can sit down with anyone and play music. You might not be
able to say a word, but you can play music together for hours.”
GIVING BACK
Guthrie gives back by participating in fund-raisers, benefit
concerts and charitable events. The Guthrie family in 1991
purchased the Old Trinity Church near Stockbridge, Mass.,
which was the location for the movie Alice’s Restaurant. It was
renamed The Guthrie Center in honor of his parents, Woody
and Marjorie Guthrie.
“We continue their mission of making the world a little better
for everyone,” Guthrie says. The Center provides free food,
education, legal aid, yoga and regularly scheduled worship.
“It remains the focal point of my charitable work. Every
week most all of these services are made available to anyone
who needs them.”
Annual events like the “Historic Garbage Trail Walk” raise
funds to help families deal with the burden of Huntington’s
Disease, which took his father’s life in 1967.
But the Guthrie tribe is what keeps him going. His son, Abe,
is the on-stage musical
director and
a keyboard player
since the age of
3. First daughter,
Cathy, performs
with Amy Nelson,
folksinger Willie’s
daughter. Second
daughter, Annie,
runs Rising Son Records
and performs
her own gigs.
Youngest daughter,
Sarah Lee, toured
with her father for
more than 15 years
and is currently
writing and performing
her own
material.
“And all their
kids play too,”
Guthrie says. “It
was my father’s
dream to have a large family and tour the country singing
and performing together. He never got to do that, but we’ve
kept his dream alive. The last performance the family did
together was at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Nov. 30,
2019. I have no doubt my family will keep the tradition alive
and well long after I’m gone.”
Arlo Guthrie and his band will play 32 concerts
from California to New York, finishing July 2.
This photo was taken Oct. 25, 1987.
The 2020 Arlo line-up includes
Cathy Guthrie, Willie Nelson’s
daughter Amy, drummer Terry
Hall, Arlo Guthrie and son Abe
on keyboards.
GREG GARDNER