Woody Guthrie’s Yiddishe Mama

Woody Guthrie’s Yiddishe Mama

Woody Guthrie, born 103 years ago today, is best known as the dust bowl balladeer who wrote many of America's most beloved songs, including "This Land Is Your Land." He was a free spirit and a sprite, a vagabond minstrel who spent his 55 years on earth using music to empower the common man. He wrote of the roads he traveled and the characters he met, of "dusty old dust" and the places he lived on "the wild, windy plains." He also wrote about a land and a culture far removed from his Tom Joad roots, a place "where the halvah meets the pickle, where the sour meets the sweet." Yes, folks, it turns out that Woody Guthrie had a Jewish mother-in-law! And folk culture is all richer for it.

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Remembering Jeff Buckley: Songs of Tribute and Gratitude

Remembering Jeff Buckley: Songs of Tribute and Gratitude

On March 29, 1997, singer/songwriter/guitarist Jeff Buckley drowned at age 30 while trying to swim the Wolf River in Memphis. The son of folk legend Tim Buckley, Jeff made a huge impact on the music world with his haunting vocals, inspired songwriting, and amazing guitar work. As we approach the 17th anniversary of his passing, I feel that an investigation of the songs his peers and contemporaries wrote about him following his death can attest to his influence and impact. An article by contributor Adam Kukic, host of The Coffeehouse on WYEP fm.

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Tom Waits – A Man Named Sue

Tom Waits – A Man Named Sue

Snarly, salty Tom Waits is one of the few singer/songwriters never to sell out by allowing his songs to be used in TV commercials. Through the years he's filed lawsuits against lots of big companies that attempted to use his songs – or rips-offs of his music – in TV ads. And he won every case.

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Neil Diamond: He Is, He Said

Neil Diamond: He Is, He Said

The protagonist in the movie "What About Bob" attributes his failed marriage to this time-tested rule: "There are two types of people in the world -- those who like Neil Diamond and those who don't. My ex-wife loves him." Well, despite the fact that Neil Diamond is sometimes rebuked by rockers for his symphonic serenades, I'm proud to say I'm a fan. He wrote some of the most memorable pop songs of the 1960s, including "Cherry, Cherry," "I'm a Believer," "Solitary Man," and "Cracklin' Rosie." And he's a good sport, too, appearing in movies ("Saving Silverman") and TV shows ("Saturday Night Live") that have playfully mocked him for his sometimes grandiose anthems and dramatic delivery.

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