Arlo Guthrie: The Warner/Reprise Years

(Paperback)

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Arlo Guthrie, the son of Americas legendary dust bowl troubadour Woody Guthrie and Martha Graham dancer Marjorie Mazia Guthrie, was reared in the rarefied atmosphere of New York Citys remnant Old Left culture, a period that brought together art, political action, and folk music. Music was part of Guthries life from the very beginning and his self-confessed earliest childhood memory was standing knee-high next to Lead Belly, the blues legend and King of the twelve-string Guitar. Arlo's earliest mentors were his fathers friends, and the youngster would learn his craft from the giants of American folk music: Pete Seeger, the Weavers, Cisco Houston, Josh White, Oscar Brand, Ramblin Jack Elliott, Brownie McGhee, and Sonny Terry. Arlo Guthrie: The Warner/Reprise Years revisits Guthries fifteen-year ride as a recording artist for the prestigious record label. Hank Reineke guides readers through the colorful history of Guthries most creative period, when the droll, shaggy-haired troubadour promised in song that a new world" was surely coming. In his thoughtful consideration of Guthrie's career as a popular, if idiosyncratic, recording artist for the Reprise/Warner Bros. label, Reineke regales readers with stories behind the remarkable success of Guthries talking blues-turned-movie Alices Restaurant and his celebrated appearance at the 1969 Woodstock festival. Guthries time at Reprise/Warner Bros. from 1967 to 1982 saw twelve critically acclaimed solo albums, two staple singles of FM radio (Coming Into Los Angeles and City of New Orleans), and a pair of treasured folk-music recording collaborations with Pete Seeger. With a look at Guthries life and times before and after this prolific period of his career, Arlo Guthrie: The Warner/Reprise Years is the first biography dedicated solely to this gifted artist. A goldmine of information on the Guthrie family's legacy to American music, the counterculture of the 1960s, and the record industry of the 1970s, this work also features a detailed bibliography as well as the first comprehensive discography of Guthries recordings through the present day. Arlo Guthrie: The Warner/Reprise Years will appeal to popular music historians, folk-rock fans, and readers interested in the American counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s.

Reviews

In this unauthorized study of Arlo Guthrie, Reineke (Ramblin Jack Elliot: The Never-Ending Highway) documents the musicians 15 years of recordings on the Warner/Reprise label (196782). Guthrie, son of legendary folksinger Woody Guthrie, began his career singing at concerts with his fathers friends. He made his own break with the clever and politically charged song-story Alices Restaurant in 1967. In the next 15 years, Guthrie played at Woodstock, toured extensively with his friend and mentor Pete Seeger, and produced 14 albums. Throughout his career, Guthrie has frequently played at Woody Guthrie tribute concerts and events. Reineke uses extensive interviews, album reviews, and concert reviews and has compiled a thorough discography, covering Guthries entire career, which will be extremely useful to fans and newcomers to the music. VERDICT This well-researched work is recommended for anyone interested in the Guthrie family and American folk music. It may be of special interest as Woody Guthries centennial birthday nears in July 2012. * Library Journal *
...this is a very readable account of Arlos life and a clear-sighted analysis of his development as a person, artist and a musician. Reineke deserves thanks for undertaking such a mammoth task. * American Record Collector *
Reineke details the recording and release of the thirteen albums Guthrie made for Warners over a fifteen year period before his contract was terminated and he began releasing his albums on his own label. Reineke fills the book with details about songwriting and recording and folk music in general. * Critics at Large *
Arlo Guthrie: The Warner/Reprise Years is a comprehensive, fact-based and cross-referenced account of Guthries career as a stage and recording artist for the Reprise and Warner Bros. labels from 1967 to 1982. * Secaucus Home News *
In Hank Reinekes book, Arlo Guthrie: The Warner/Reprise Years, he pulls together a narrative from extensive source materials that tracks Arlo Guthrie during his most prolific period as a songwriter, performer, traveller, and activist of enormous skill. The book keeps pace with 11 studios albums, 2 live albums, and constant touring over the course of 15 years. Reineke is smart in not trying to re-contextualize Arlo Guthrie artistically or renegotiating his place in music history. Instead, he provides a thorough companion to a canon of under-appreciated records that are playful, thoughtful and wise. The Warner/Reprise Years does a nice job of reminding us that theres a lot more going on in Arlo Guthries work than just littering. * American Songwriter *
Serious fans of American popular music will enjoy reading this book whether or not they are interested in Guthries music. Reineke is a skilled biographer who animates his chosen subjects, effectively balancing a wealth of details with a range of broader insights. * Journal of American Folklore *
The book is rich in touring history, records made, who played what instrument on what song, chart positions and what Arlo said to interviewers back when he spoke to interviewers. Albums are analyzed, songs are dissected, so the book is rich in fact and detail. If you're reading it for academic reasons or are doing research on Arlo Guthrie, you'll find it valuable. * Rambles.NET *

Author Bio

Hank Reineke has written about folk, blues, and country music for publications such as the Aquarian Arts Weekly, Soho Arts Weekly, Downtown, East Coast Rocker, Blues Revue, On The Tracks, ISIS, and The Bridge. He is the author of Ramblin' Jack Elliott: The Never-Ending Highway (Scarecrow, 2010).