Del McCoury Announces New Album Featuring Woody Guthrie Lyrics

Del McCoury has announced the upcoming new album Del & Woody featuring songs written by the legendary bluegrass guitarist with Woody Guthrie’s lyrics. McCoury Music will issue the collaborative 12-track LP on Friday, April 15.

Guthrie’s daughter Nora Guthrie sought out Del to create new songs using her father’s lyrics just as she had Wilco and Billy Bragg for the two Mermaid Avenue records they produced, and the New Multitudes LP featuring songs composed by Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker and Jim James with Woody’s words.

“After hearing Del’s show [at Newport Folk Festival in 2009],” Nora Guthrie explained, “I remember thinking that if my dad had had a band, it would very possibly have sounded very much like Del’s … It sounds as if these lyrics and melodies have been around together forever, or as Pete Seeger says, ‘that’s genius’.”

Del & Woody features The Del McCoury Band who will tour in support of the record throughout the year, with specially designated “Del & Woody” shows in which the album will be performed in its entirety with videos for each song shown simultaneously behind the group.

“It took a while before I heard his name,” said Del about Woody. “But then I started learning that so many of the songs I was hearing, from ‘Philadelphia Lawyer’ to ‘This Land Is Your Land,’ were his. So when Nora said she wanted to send me some lyrics, I already knew what a great writer he was. She sent me a few, then sent me some more, a few dozen in all.

“When I read them, it seemed pretty easy to me to hear the music that would fit. Nora said, ‘you can change some things if you want to,’ and I said no. He’s a great writer, and I do not want to change anything in his songs. I would just like to put a melody to these words so that maybe folks will accept the songs, and that’s what we did.”

Woody’s son and fellow musician Arlo Guthrie added, “The entire album goes back to a place and time that these days, are an almost forgotten era. But, Del’s high bluegrass voice brings it all back into focus … It’s amazing how little the human condition has changed, and good to be reminded that humor, attitude, and great music are timeless. Thank you, Del.”