Originally published Sept. 15, 1988 in the Bergen Record.
One was a wiry, white Oklahoma singer-songwriter who tapped into the struggles of those made homeless by drought and the Depression. The other was a stout, black Louisiana bluesman who focused on the plight of blacks, working in Southern fields and migrating to the North.
The decade was the Thirties and, together, Woody Guthrie and Huddie Ledbetter, better known as “Leadbelly,” chronicled the fears and frustrations of the common man.
They were the quintessential folk musicians, and their songs have influenced generations of singer-songwriters, including Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen.
Now, these contemporary artists are helping introduce a new generation of pop-music fans to the songs of Guthrie and Leadbelly, music that is as relevant today as when it was first written and performed.
“Folkways: A Vision Shared A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly” is a 14-song collection that features Seeger, Dylan, Springsteen, U2, John Cougar Mellencamp, and Willie Nelson interpreting the works of these folk-music giants. The LP, recently released by Columbia Records, also features Guthrie’s son, Arlo Guthrie, and Emmylou Harris, Little Richard, Taj Mahal, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Doc Watson, and Brian Wilson.
In conjunction with the album, Showtime will air “An All-Star Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly” Saturday at 10 p.m. The outstanding one-hour cable special features the performances and remembrances of many of those artists who took part in the recording of the album, mixed with stock footage of Guthrie and Leadbelly.
(The Showtime special will be repeated Tuesday, Sept. 26 and 30, and Oct. 9 and 11. CBS Music Video will release an expanded version of the Showtime documentary next month.)
On tape, Springsteen observes that Guthrie had “a sense of realism that said, ‘Well, maybe you can’t save the world, but you can change the world, and that’s one of the reasons you’re here.”
And the songs on “A Vision Shared” which was largely Dylan’s inspiration capture this spirit.
Both Leadbelly and Guthrie had recorded for Folkways Records, a company founded in the Forties by Moses Asch. The eclectic catalog of the independent label included the work of such folk and blues pioneers as Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Big Bill Broonzy, and Lightnin Hopkins. Folkways was also popular for its children’s recordings, many of them also by Guthrie and Seeger.
When folk music flourished during the Sixties, so, too, did Folkways. But when the folk fascination faded in the following decade, Folkways star dimmed.
Last year, the Smithsonian Institution, to preserve the rich musical heritage represented by Folkways, purchased the company’s catalog from Asch’s estate. After learning that the Smithsonian planned to solicit major record companies to help pay for the Folkways purchase as well as the acquisition of the Woody Guthrie Archives Dylan proposed that the money be raised through a benefit recording.
The artists involved in the project are donating all their performance royalties from sales of “A Vision Shared,” a four-star album packed with wonderful moments.
Sweet Honey in the Rock lends a solemn, gospel-inflected touch to Leadbelly’s “Sylvie.” The women’s choir, meanwhile, takes a fervent, testifying approach to his “Gray Goose.”
Mellencamp draws from his last album, “The Lonesome Jubilee,” for the down-home interpretation of Guthrie’s “Do Re Mi.” Emmylou Harris soft twang captures the bittersweet essence of Guthrie’s “Hobo’s Lullaby. ”
Springsteen’s haunting version of Guthrie’s “I Ain’t Got No Home” brings to mind his stark, somber “Nebraska” album. A similar understated arrangement is used for Guthrie’s “Vigilante Man,” with Springsteen and the E Street Band (minus Clarence Clemons) slowly bringing the underlying anger in the song to an emotional explosion.
U2 romps with born-again enthusiasm through Guthrie’s “Jesus Christ,” while Little Richard, accompanied by Fishbone, rips through Leadbelly’s “Rock Island Line,” infusing the song with gleeful shouts.
It is Brian Wilson, however, who taps the full potential of a true classic. Instead of the melancholy arrangements that have besieged “Good Night Irene,” Wilson takes Leadbelly’s most famous song and fills it with bells, guitars, and his trademark Beach Boys harmonies for a bright, cheerful sound.
By paying tribute to their musical mentors with cover versions of their songs, these performers are helping preserve the orginals. And while initial sales of the album are going to be sparked by fans of those artists involved, the Smithsonian Institution is hoping that these same buyers will be interested enough to seek out Guthrie’s and Leadbelly’s own music.
The first major release on the Folkways/Smithsonian label will be “The Original Vision,” featuring the original versions of the songs featured on “A Vision Shared.”
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Bruce Springsteen’s adaptation of Bob Dylan’s “Chimes of Freedom” has been used as the all-star show-closer on the worldwide Amnesty International “Human Rights Now! ” tour that reaches Philadelphia Monday.
But you needn’t hold a ticket for the six-hour show which also stars Sting, Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman, and Youssou N’Dour to hear the song.
Springsteen recently released “Chimes of Freedom,” a live, four-song EP that contains the Dylan remake, as well as “Be True,” “Tougher Than the Rest,” and an acoustic version of “Born to Run. ” Proceeds from sales of the mini-album are being donated to the human-rights organization.
The songs on “Chimes of Freedom,” recorded during Springsteen’s “Tunnel of Love Express,” tour, serve as powerful reminders of just how riveting a performer Springsteen is. Both he and the E Street Band are at peak form here.
Springsteen adopts a few Dylan vocal inflections for “Chimes of Freedom,” a ringing anthem that features prominent vocal support from Patti Scialfa. The full power of the band gives “Tougher Than the Rest” a harder edge than the version which appears on the “Tunnel of Love” LP,
and “Be True” receives added snap from Clarence Clemons saxophone and the five-piece horn section that Springsteen added for the tour.
It is the acoustic version of “Born to Run,” which became a staple on the tour, that shows Springsteen’s maturity as an artist. Once an exuberant celebration of rebellion, the tune is turned into a quiet, introspective ballad that invokes a rousing audience sing-along.
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Concert and club dates: The Grateful Dead continues its Madison Square Garden engagement, tonight, Friday, and Sunday through Tuesday. Tonight, Bruce Hornsby & the Range and Melissa Etheridge open a two-night stand at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan. At the Bitter End in Manhattan, Common Fury performs tonight, Elliot Murphy has a date Sunday, and Big Bang performs Monday. Upcoming shows at the Ritz in Manhattan include Urban Blight on Friday, Pere Ubu and John Cale on Saturday, and Roby n Hitchcock & the Egyptians on Tuesday. Maximum America has a Friday show at the Green Parrot in Neptune.