Woody Guthrie
Inside The 1949 Westchester KKK Attack Where Rioters Chanted ‘We’re Hitler’s Boys’
At a 1949 concert in upstate New York, fascists and Klan members attacked Jewish and black attendees.
Happy Birthday Woody Guthrie, Our Greatest Hanukkah Songwriter
An unlikely mastermind is behind several beloved Hanukkah songs: folk music icon Woody Guthrie.
How an Okie Named Woody Guthrie Became Our Best Hanukkah Tunesmith
An unlikely mastermind is behind several beloved Hanukkah songs: folk music icon Woody Guthrie.
On Bob Dylan's Birthday, 4 Israeli Artists Reminisce
It’s Bob Dylan’s 73rd birthday. Here’s what four Israeli singer-songwriters had to say about the ‘defining moment’ in his influence on them.
Music for May Day: Songs of Kibbutzim & Coal Mines
Here’s a little video collection I put together for May Day 2010, with some updates, to help get in the holiday spirit. Fortunately, it’s still relevant. Unfortunately, that’s because we haven’t made much progress in the interim toward economic justice.
What's More American Than Bob Dylan — and Super Bowl Car Ad?
Many accused Bob Dylan of selling out with his Super Bowl Chrysler ad. Jay Michaelson explains why it’s just the bard’s ironic spin on what it means to be American.
Woody Guthrie Gets Onstage Musical Treatment
Troubadour and folk poet Woody Guthrie was a working class hero with deep Jewish connections. His life and music is now being celebrated in a musical traveling the country.
From Our Archives: Hanukkah, Forever New
Sebastiano Conca: ‘Alexander the Great in the Temple of Jerusalem’ (1737) / Wikimedia Commons
Holiday Songs: Robeson's 'Joe Hill,' Solidarity in WI
Some songs for the holiday. First, Paul Robeson’s immortal rendition of “The Ballad of Joe Hill.” It still has incredibly moving power. (Read this and this for some fascinating comment on Joe.)
Music for the 9th of Av: On Jerusalem, Exile and Homelessness
I agonized over this. We’re now in the nine-day mourning period approaching Tisha B’Av. Music is not appropriate. Can we observe by listening to music of the season? Well, I decided to go with it. It’s for those who haven’t thought of observing the mourning period, to get you in the mood. There are versions of Psalm 137 (“By the Rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept”) in Hebrew and English, from reggae, Israeli, medieval Italian baroque and American pop. Also several songs of yearning for Jerusalem, by Naomi Shemer, Meir Ariel and Paul Simon. Plus some numbers on homelessness and wandering, courtesy of Bruce Springsteen, Woody Guthrie and James Taylor. Also the English (Joan Baez) and original Yiddish (Chava Alberstein) versions of “Donna, Donna” about calves who let themselves be led like, well, lambs to the slaughter.