Who was Woody Guthrie's first wife?

Woody Guthrie's first wife was Mary Esther Jennings (later Boyle), whom he married in 1931 in Pampa, Texas, and they had three children together before divorcing around 1940 as he traveled during the Dust Bowl era. They faced hardships together, and Mary later remarried, living a long life, while Woody went on to marry twice more, to Marjorie Greenblatt and Anneke van Kirk.

What happened to Lorina Guthrie?

Lorina had no further contact with her birth parents. She died in a car crash in California in 1973 at the age of 19. After the divorce, Guthrie's second wife, Marjorie, re-entered his life and cared for him until his death.

Did Marjorie Guthrie remarry?

It was impossible for Marjorie Guthrie to give him the full-time care his condition required. She had to divorce him so that the state would be responsible for supporting his fifteen-year-long hospitalization. She married three more times: to Alfred Addeo (1954), Lou Cooper (1964), and Martin Stein (1974).

What disease does Arlo Guthrie have?

Guthrie's parents separated and then divorced in the early 1950s after his father's behavior had become erratic and irrational, the result of an incurable neurological disorder known as Huntington disease.

What happened to Woody Guthrie's children?

Huntington's disease took Woody from this world on October 3, 1967, in New York City. (His two daughters from his first marriage, Gwen and Sue, also succumbed to the disease.)

The Tragic Real-Life Story Of Woody Guthrie

What disease does Savannah Guthrie have?

Savannah Guthrie's recent health issue involves vocal nodules and a vocal polyp, non-cancerous growths on her vocal cords that required early 2026 surgery, causing a temporary absence from the Today show for several weeks of silence and recovery. She announced the condition in late December 2025, explaining it was the cause of her strained, scratchy voice, and has since shared positive updates on her recovery process.
 

What happened to Woody Guthrie's son Bill?

In 1940, unable to cope with his wanderlust, Guthrie's wife left him, returning to Texas with their children. (Their son Bill would later die in an auto accident, and the two girls would die from the same disease that would eventually claim their father.)

Did Bob Dylan ever meet Arlo Guthrie?

Yes, Arlo Guthrie knew Bob Dylan well; Dylan first met Arlo as a teenager when he visited the Guthrie home looking for Arlo's father, Woody Guthrie, and they remained connected through the folk music scene, with Arlo often telling stories about Dylan and even performing Dylan's songs. Their connection solidified through Woody, with Dylan learning from Woody and Arlo teaching Dylan harmonica tricks, and they shared stages and mutual admiration, cementing a lifelong relationship rooted in folk music history.
 

What was controversial about the song "This Land Is Your Land"?

The controversy around Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land" stems from its original, often omitted verses that critique capitalism and land inequality, contrasting with its popular, simplified use as a patriotic anthem, and particularly its use by figures like J.Lo at the Biden inauguration, which raised issues for Native Americans about the erasure of Indigenous land rights and the nation's history of displacement on stolen land, making it a "settler anthem" for some.
 

What happened with Richard Gere and Savannah Guthrie?

Richard Gere and Savannah Guthrie had a memorable, lighthearted moment on the Today Show in November 2024, when Gere flipped her the middle finger on live TV to demonstrate a scene from his new show, The Agency, which prompted Guthrie to jokingly scold him for the "obscene gesture" on a family show, referencing Cher's recent "F-bomb" on the same show. Gere explained he was just reenacting his character's action from the show's clip, which had cut off just before the gesture, leading to confusion and humor.
 

Why is Savannah Guthrie off the Today Show so much?

Savannah Guthrie has been away from the Today show periodically for planned time off and, more recently, for vocal cord surgery in early 2026 to treat nodules and a polyp, requiring several weeks of complete silence for recovery, though she has also taken standard breaks for vacations and family time. Her absences are usually brief, with colleagues filling in while she's away, and she returns once cleared by doctors.
 

What does Savannah Guthrie's husband Michael Feldman do?

He is a founding partner and managing director of The Glover Park Group, a communications, consulting, and advocacy firm.

Where is Woody Guthrie buried?

Although Woody was cremated after he died on October 3, 1967, and his ashes scattered at Coney Island, New York, there is a memorial marker for him in the Guthrie family plot in Highland Cemetery, located just a few blocks north of downtown Okemah. His parents and a brother and a sister are buried here, however.

What did Bob Dylan think of Woody Guthrie?

Bob Dylan deeply revered Woody Guthrie, seeing him as a vital source of hope and a guide for living, and honored him through music and poetry, notably with his debut song "Song to Woody" and the epic spoken-word piece "Last Thoughts on Woody Guthrie," where he described Guthrie as a spiritual touchstone, equating finding him with finding God. Dylan's admiration stemmed from Guthrie's ability to capture humanity in song and his role as a cultural conscience, a legacy Dylan carried forward in his own protest music. 

What is Arlo Guthrie doing today?

He lives in Washington, Mass and runs the old Trinity Church in Housatonic as the Guthrie Center. His kids are playing the music nowadays.

What song did Woody Guthrie write about Trump?

Woody Guthrie wrote songs about Donald Trump's father, Fred Trump, focusing on racial discrimination in his Brooklyn housing projects, most notably in the unearthed lyrics of "Old Man Trump," where Guthrie accused Fred Trump of racist policies and making him feel like a "tramp," reflecting his outrage at segregation in the early 1950s. Guthrie's writings, discovered years later, detail his anger at being forced out of his apartment due to these discriminatory practices, contrasting with Donald Trump's later politics. 

What was Woody Guthrie accused of?

Woody Guthrie faced accusations and legal troubles related to his radical politics (being labeled a communist sympathizer by the FBI), using racist language early in his career (which he later renounced), and charges of vagrancy and insanity as his Huntington's Disease progressed, leading to involuntary commitment in psychiatric hospitals. He was also involved in a public feud with Fred Trump, whom he accused of racism in his housing practices.
 

Who sang "This Land is Your Land" at Obama's inauguration?

The song was performed by Springsteen and Pete Seeger, accompanied by Seeger's grandson, Tao Rodríguez-Seeger, at We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial on January 18, 2009.

What song did Bob Dylan refuse to play?

Bob Dylan famously refused to play "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues" on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1963, walking off set when CBS censors demanded he change the satirical, politically charged lyrics, instead of altering his song or choosing another, as he wanted to perform his own work. 

Who was Bob Dylan's love of his life?

While Bob Dylan's love life is famously complex, many consider Suze Rotolo, his girlfriend in the early 1960s and muse for his iconic album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, to be the love that most profoundly shaped his early work and artistic awakening, though Dylan also had significant, intense relationships with Joan Baez and his wife Sara Lownds, the latter of whom he reportedly called the love of his life in later years. 

What did Bob Dylan say was the best song ever written?

Bob Dylan famously called "Wichita Lineman," written by Jimmy Webb and performed by Glen Campbell, the "greatest song ever written," praising its emotional depth, poetic lyrics, and profound expression of universal feelings, especially the melancholic yearning of loneliness and love. 

What surgery did Savannah Guthrie have?

Savannah Guthrie recently had surgery on her vocal cords in early 2026 to remove vocal nodules and a polyp, which caused persistent hoarseness, requiring a couple of weeks of vocal rest for recovery. This follows a previous significant eye surgery in 2020 for a retinal detachment caused by an injury from her son, which required further treatment and cataract surgery later that year.
 

What condition did Arlo Guthrie have?

There are several annual events such as the Walk-A-Thon to Cure Huntington's Disease and a "Thanksgiving Dinner That Can't Be Beat" for families, friends, doctors and scientists who live and work with Huntington's disease. One of the title characters in the comic strip Arlo and Janis is named after Guthrie.