2012 is Woody Guthrie's Centennial Year.
Hear his life story the way it should be heard  - In his songs!
 
HARD TRAVELIN' : WOODY GUTHRIE's LIFE and SONGS
 
Woody Guthrie was a balladeer of the 1930's and 1940's who roamed the country - sometimes in an empty boxcar - connecting with America and its people. What is now his signature song, This Land Is Your Land, emerged as a rallying cry in the 1960's when Peter, Paul & Mary reintroduced it to the world.
 
2012 is a great time to remember this humble "Everyman" from our cultural history. In Hard Travelin'  I present Woody's life and times in his own words and in his songs about the Dust Bowl, the natural wonders of the West, labor unions, patriotism and the average Joes who built a great country.
 
The one hour presentation includes more than a dozen of Woody's songs, including Hard Travelin', Roll On Columbia, Union Maid, Sinking of the Reuben James, So Long It's Been Good to Know Ya, and, of course, This Land Is Your Land.
 
FANDANGO AT BENT'S FORT  
 
A one-hour multicultural introduction to a vibrant center of westward trade and expansion in the 1840's.  This is history from the perspective of those who lived it: William and Charles Bent, trader's wife Susan Magoffin, Army private Marcellus Ball Edwards, African-American slave Charlotte Green and Cheyenne woman Mis-stan-stur. 
 
Popular songs from "back home in the states" made the dusty Santa Fe Trail a bit more bearable, and at the end of the day a fandango was always welcome.  I'll sing Old Rosin' the Beau, Buffalo Gals, Blue Tail Fly, Sweet Betsy From Pike and more.  Based on my book, Bent's Fort: Crossroads of Cultures on the Santa Fe Trail.
 
 
 
BOB SAKATA : FROM INTERNMENT TO THE AMERICAN DREAM
 
Interned as a teenager by the U.S. during WWII for "looking like the enemy," Bob Sakata reached for the American Dream and won it.  Based on my book Bob Sakata: American Farmer, this illustrated talk reveals an overlooked chapter of U.S. history.  Filled with historic photos! 
 
Flexible rates for each presentation start at $100
Daniel Blegen - Author / Performer

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