BBC Arena - Woody Guthrie (1988)

BBC Arena - Woody Guthrie (1988) from The Hammer Works on Vimeo. 1:07:20

New York City 1943

First transmitted in 1988, Arena presents a documentary programme exploring the life of Woody Guthrie, the travelling American singer-songwriter who paved the way for the likes of Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.

Born in Okemah, Oklahoma in 1912, Guthrie became a spokesman for a whole generation of downtrodden Americans during the 1930s, with poignant songs like Vigilante Man, Pastures of Plenty and the anthemic, This Land is Your Land.