ARLO GUTHRIE – Career Overview
The article by Allmusic (by William Ruhlmann) on Arlo Guthrie – who suffers not only from the long shadow cast by his legendary father Woody Guthrie, but also by the fear that Huntington’s Disease might claim him as it did Woody – opens with: “Is it possible to be a one-hit wonder three times?” The whole idea of course is nonsense. True, Arlo’s only Top 40 hit was “City of New Orleans” in 1972, one of the great train songs. Arlo writes most of his own music, though this song was written by Steve Goodman. But Arlo is at least as well known for his 18-minute monologue song “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” in 1967; the story is based in fact, and he starred as well in the movie version of Alice’s Restaurant. My sister Julie W. Kovasckitz managed to be in the audience one time when he performed that song live; when people start calling out that song as a request at his concerts, Arlo normally demurs and tells the audience that this is what records are for. The third item that Allmusic is remembering is “Coming into Los Angeles”, which Guthrie performed at Woodstock in 1969. But there is also his novelty “Motorcycle Song” (also from the Alice’s Restaurant album), which I saw Arlo perform on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson I believe on two occasions.
Arlo Guthrie is of course not a one-hit wonder of any type, but rather someone who has had a long musical career that spawns a hit song once in a while. Judy Collins is another example.
(May 2012)
