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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The Sundown of ’74

Sometimes I think it's a sin, when I feel like I'm winning, when I'm losing again. Those words from Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot have run up and down the staircase of my mind many times. Just when I think I've got it, it turns out I don't. His win/lose lyric has several cousins: Springsteen's one step up and two steps…

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The Family Tree of Wainwright – Roots of Folk Royalty

It's tough enough being the child of a famous musician, but what's it like to establish your own identity when you hail from a large inter-connected family of talented songwriters? For our second post examining legendary musicians and their progeny, we investigate the intricate web of some of the most established names in folk music: Wainwright, McGarrigle, and Roche. An article by contributor Adam Kukic, host of The Coffeehouse on WYEP fm.

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Rebecca Loebe – The Voice You Need to Discover

“The wit of Dar Williams, the bite of Ani DiFranco, and the beauty of Norah Jones." That's how I once described a gifted singer/songwriter named Rebecca Loebe. It was the combination of Becca’s voice and her determination that landed her on the first season of The Voice. But her appearance on the show was not the beginning nor the end of her story. To date she's issued five official releases - 3 LPs and 2 EPs, PLUS she's a non-stop touring machine. Since 2009 I’ve been fortunate enough to see her perform live three times. Here's why you need to discover this amazing talent. An article by contributor Adam Kukic, host of The Coffeehouse on WYEP fm.

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