Mayor Dawn Zimmer and the City of Hoboken invite you to celebrate the kick-off of our free weekly summer concert series at Sinatra Park with a special
Woody Guthrie Centennial Tribute Concert
Thursday May 24th beginning at 6:30pm
Frank Sinatra Park (on Frank Sinatra Drive, between 4th & 5th Streets)
The Woody Guthrie Tribute Concert at Sinatra Park hosted by The Demolition String Band will feature performances by Elena Skye, Boo Riners, Dave Lambert (of The Fuzzy Lemons), Kate Jacobs, Deena & Jon from the Cucumbers, The Jersey Follettes, Hello Radio, Dave Calamoneri, Julio Fernandez, Mary Olive Smith, Randy Noojin, James Mastro, Tom Vincent, Annalee Van Kleeck, Gary & Martha Frazier, David Cogswell & Al Festa, Eddie Fogerty, Jeremy Beck, Garden Street School of Performing Arts, Students from the Hoboken Dual Language Charter School (HoLa), Hoboken Jr Girl Scout Troop 12402, Brownie Troop 12041, and many more.
The audience will be invited to sing along during many of the performances.
For more information, call 201-420-2207 or online at
http://www.hobokennj.org/
Woody Guthrie (July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs including "So Long It's Been Good To Know You," "This Train Is Bound For Glory" and "Oklahoma Hills." His best-known song, "This Land Is Your Land," has become one of America's most beloved patriotic songs and is considered by some as the unofficial second national anthem. Songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Pete Seeger, Joe Strummer, Billy Bragg and Tom Paxton have all acknowledged Woody Guthrie as a major influence.
Guthrie fathered eight children, including American folk musician Arlo Guthrie and grandfather of musician Sarah Lee Guthrie. Guthrie died from complications of Huntington's disease, a progressive genetic neurological disorder. During his later years, in spite of his illness, Guthrie served as a figurehead in the folk movement, providing inspiration to a generation of new folk musicians, including mentor relationships with Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Bob Dylan.
Although Guthrie's catalog never brought him many awards while he was alive, in 1988 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the same year Bob Dylan was inducted (much of Dylan's initial folk music work was heavily influenced by Guthrie), and in 2000 he was honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.