Tomorrow’s release from The Del McCoury Band, Del and Woody, is the final result of a long gestating process that began when the late, great Woody Guthrie‘s daughter Nora looked at the close to 3,000 unfinished songs that her famous father had left behind, and wondered if there was a way to bring the material to life. Her search for someone with both the gravitas and affability to give the material the accessibility and emotional weight was a difficult one. When finally she approached bluegrass legend Del McCoury, she quickly realized that she had found someone who would treat the inherited books of lyrics and poetry with the respect that they deserved.
With two polarizing, populist political candidates taking our current presidential campaign in a contentious direction, the atmosphere is perfect to revisit the work of iconoclastic singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie. Guthrie’s rise into prominence began in 1930’s as the Great Depression raged, but it was World War II that would truly inspire him to use his music to speak his mind. Tapping into the lingering distrust between the poor and disenfranchised against the rich and powerful, Woody Guthrie raised his voice to protest for equality and sense. Though Guthrie’s death in 1967 may have silenced the man, the fiery songs he left behind have continued to burn ever brightly.
Del McCoury first entered the music world in 1963, as a member of Bill Monroe‘s legendary backing band, the Bluegrass Boys. McCoury’s skill on the guitar was matched with a high and lonesome voice, which has seemed to only grow stronger in the decades that have passed. His musical gifts have proved genetic, as his current backing band features his sons Rob & Ronnie McCoury, who have themselves won numerous awards for the banjo and mandolin skills respectively. Though Del had never met Guthrie, he always had a deep respect for his work. When he was approached by Nora about the possibility of bring her late father’s music back to life, he signed up for the challenge immediately.
With literally thousands of Guthrie-penned song verses and poems to choose from, the process of selecting which pieces to bring to life was a daunting one. After narrowing down the choices to a more manageable number, the senior McCoury and his band got to work on the task of trying to write music that was true to the time and place where they were first written. With bassist Alan Bartram and fiddler extraordinaire Jason Carter joining the father and son McCourys in this bit of musical archaeology, the band finally produced the dozen songs featured on Del and Woody.
Though Woody Guthrie was most known for his plain spoken, solo singer-songwriter style of play, his words ring as strongly with a richer musical accompaniment as without. The opening track of the album, “New York Trains,” greatly benefits from evocative fiddle cries and a chugging rhythm that eerily recalls the rumbling of a locomotive. Guthrie’s long standing desire speak the plain truths that united a majority of Americans in their daily struggles to survive is in clear evidence throughout this collection of songs. “Cheap Joe” shows Guthrie at his populist best, acting as a spokesman for those who felt themselves trapped in a system they could never beat, yet still refuse to give in to despair.
Not all of Guthrie’s material was political, though and songs like “Californy Gold” and “Left In This World Alone” show him easily capable of adding memorable tunes to the heart broken blues songbook. McCoury shows a fearless confidence, earned by more than fifty years of performing, throughout the song selection. While McCoury’s and Guthrie’s vocal stylings are not completely similar, Del doesn’t shy away from imparting his own trademark arching wails to these sessions. The fusing of composed thought and music execution brings the entire project to a higher level of achievement, by simply letting each artist spirit shine through.
In “The Government Road,” Guthrie crafted a tale of a released prisoner walking the roads he helped pave as part of a chain gang. The band’s harmonies captures the camaraderie that the terrible practice built. Again, using a full band to breathe life into these songs adds a dimension that Guthrie himself may have never personally envisioned but certainly would have appreciated.
On the aptly named “Family Reunion,” a tale of generations gathering to celebrate the ties that bind serves as the heart of this piece. Guthrie’s words urge the listener to honor those closest to them and to hold their kin close to heart, while McCoury and his actual family bring the music to life behind it. When you consider the work done bringing these two musical forces together was done by Guthrie’s daughter, it’s easy to see that both families have joined together through a marriage of kindred spirits.
The closing number, “Hoecake Fritters” is a wonderful wrap up to the disc, with a simple, upbeat energy that lauds the hopeful spirit of those facing tough times, and the wonder of appreciating the good things in life, no matter their cost. It’s a fine summation of both the sentiment of the words of Guthrie and the unbridled good cheer that Del McCoury and his band bring to the proceedings.
Woody Guthrie captured the sense of unease and distrust that America was feeling, against the economic and political policies of the rich and powerful just as easily as he crafted more traditional topics, and all sides of the man are represented here beautifully. In creating a musical landscape for Guthrie’s words to live again, Del McCoury doesn’t just give the world a chance to meet a legend, he manages to bring enough of himself and his band to the mix to create something greater than the sum of its parts. When the work of artists of such skill and renown comes together to compliment rather than over power the result, as shown here, is truly a thing of beauty.
Del and Woody is due out tomorrow, April 15th, and more information about the album can be found here.