Woody Guthrie, says Daughter, was a 'Commonist' Not a 'Communist'

Woody Guthrie's songs played a major role in making me the person I am.
From Common Dreams:  http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/07/08-1

As many celebrate the folk singer's legacy, his message finds resonance amid current crises

- Common Dreams staff
Published on Sunday, July 8, 2012 by Common Dreams

On the eve of what would be his 100th birthday Nora Guthrie says of her famous folk singer father, Woody Guthrie, that he was too busy breaking molds to fit into one and always resisted being "put in the straight jacket' of political parties.

 Woody Guthrie was "a commonist, not a communist," his daughter says in an interview with The Guardian's Ed Vulliamy.

Born in Okemah, Oklahoma on July 14, 1912, Guthrie came from humble (and conservative) origins to become one of America's most beloved radicals and musicians.  Leading up to the centennial of his birth, remembrances and reflections of the man abound and many events are planned in celebration of his life, music, and cascading influence on American culture.

More than 40 years after his death, and with the obvious glare of depression-era themes returning to contemporary life in the United States, Woody's songs have as much relevance as ever.

"The sad truth," Robert Santelli, director of the Grammy Museum and author of several books on music history, told the New Star-Ledger, "is that many of the issues that Guthrie wrote about are still very much with us. Disrespect for immigrants, the difference between the haves and the have-nots, disenfranchisement, the lack of desire to aid people in trouble, we still see all of that.

"Guthrie saw his family, friends and relatives lose their farms to the Great Depression or the Dust Bowl, or both. He developed a sense of responsibility to become the voice of those people who had no voice."

Continue reading at:  http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/07/08-1