Arlo Guthrie – Woodstock ’69 – Walkin’ Down The Line
Arlo Guthrie’s memorable Woodstock performance which began with “Coming into Los Angeles” and ended into a psychedelic muddle is still seen as a memorable moment at Woodstock.
Born on July 10th, 1947, the blues singer is most famous for his 18 minute 34 second (which he points out is the same span of time of one of the gaps in Nixon’s Watergate tapes) story titled “Alice’s Restaurant ” which is a satirical protest against the Vietnam War.
Before performing at Woodstock 1969, Guthrie starred in his own movie which is also titled “Alice’s Restaurant”. Guthrie was never hailed as a pop star, “Alice’s Restaurant ” was too long for radio play, and his most memorable song “Coming into Los Angeles” which was performed at Woodstock was banned from the radio.
After Woodstock, Guthrie established his own style of popularity by being revered as one of the great folk singers in history with his “talking blues” style of music which is used by such folk artists as Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. His 1976 album “Amigo” received Rolling Stone’s highest rating of five stars.
Like his father, Guthrie is known for his ability to incorporate storytelling into his music and is known as one of the big hitters in the folk music history. He recently completed a family legacy tour in which he performed alone on stage for the first time since 1965.
He is also is the founder of the Guthrie Center in Great Barrington, MA which offers a place for individuals of all religions to meet and worship.