Hometown honor for Guthrie, 3 others
By MATT ELLIOTT World Scene Writer
4/11/2007
The late folk singer Woody Guthrie will be one of four natives of Okemah to be inducted into its Hall of Fame during a ceremony April 27.
Guthrie, a highly influential and prolific American folk musician noted for his identification with the common man, is best known for his song "This Land Is Your Land," and for his influence on such artists as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Bragg.
He is the father of another folk musician, Arlo Guthrie, and a grandfather of Sarah Lee Guthrie.
Although he initially was the subject of much controversy for his populist views -- including in his hometown -- the town now has a statue honoring Guthrie in Memorial Park on Main Street.
In addition, Okemah is the home of the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, a summer celebration of his legacy.
Donald Moore, the secretary of the Okemah Chamber of Commerce, said inductees normally are not admitted posthumously into the Hall of Fame, which was founded in 1977. Moore said the chamber board made an exception for the Dust Bowl folk singer, who died in October 1967 in New York's Queens borough.
"They just thought it was time, particularly since this last year he was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame," Moore said.
Also to be inducted are Joe Edgar Cheat- wood, a local volunteer; Mark Smyth, a natural gas analyst; and Ray Holman, a vocational agricultural teacher.
The four will be honored at 6:30 p.m. April 27 during the Okemah Hall of Fame banquet at the Okemah High School commons. The banquet is part of the Pioneer Day weekend festivities. Admission is $15, Moore said.
Matt Elliott 581-8366
matt.elliott@tulsaworld.com
By MATT ELLIOTT World Scene Writer
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