Tribute to famous folk singer at Grand Coulee Dam
Woody Guthrie in 1943. A tribute to the singer-songwriter, who died in 1967, will be held at Grand Coulee Dam on May 28.
GRAND COULEE — Songs written by folk artist Woody Guthrie while he spent about a month touring Grand Coulee Dam and its surrounding area in 1941 will be the subject of a concert and symposium May 28 at the dam.
Admission is free.
“Woody Guthrie Day: A Tribute to His Month of Song” will feature an afternoon concert, film screening and readings from a book about Guthrie’s experiences at the dam. The concert and book readings commemorate the 75th anniversary of the music Guthrie wrote about the dam.
Guthrie was hired by the Bonneville Power Administration in May 1941 to write songs for a movie about the dam and its construction, then nearing completion. He was in the area exactly 30 days and wrote 26 songs about his experiences, including “Roll On, Columbia.”
“His songs about cheap hydroelectric power, irrigation and Grand Coulee Dam are considered folk song classics,” according to a press release from the organizers.
The film, “Columbia,” was released in 1949. It focused on the impact the dam and its power generation had on the region during World War II, and the planned irrigation projects.
The music that emerged from that month is the subject of a book by Greg Vandy, a deejay at KEXP in Seattle, and Dan Person. During the day Vandy and Person will be discussing their book, “26 Songs in 30 Days: Woody Guthrie’s Columbia River Songs and the Planned Promised Land of the Pacific Northwest," and will be reading excerpts.
Other scheduled speakers include Libby Burke, archivist for the BPA; Deanna McCloud from the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Okla. and filmmaker Michael Madjic. Panel discussions on Guthrie and his works are scheduled.
Musicians will be performing the "Columbia River Songs," other music from Guthrie’s long career and music inspired or influenced by Guthrie. Scheduled performers include Jacob Miller and the Bridge City Crooners, Joe Seamens, Annie Ford, The Foghorns, Aaron Semer, Michael Wohl, John Pontrello, Country Dave, Mindie Lind and Planes on Paper.
Grand Coulee Dam presents a laser show, detailing the history of the river, the region and the dam, each day during the summer. It will begin at dusk.