Woody Guthrie lost recordings to be released for the first time

75 years after their creation, home recordings by legendary American musician Woody Guthrie will be released for the first time on August 14 in the two-volume collection Woody At Home - Volumes 1 & 2.

The collection contains 22 previously unreleased tracks from 1951-1952, including 13 songs Guthrie never recorded elsewhere, rare unheard verses from 'This Land is Your Land' and three spoken-word tracks. Shamus Records, a subsidiary of Guthrie's publisher TRO, will release the collection alongside previously unpublished family photos, original art and lyric sheets.

The tapes were recorded in Guthrie's Brooklyn apartment, reportedly as a musical introduction to his publisher at TRO. In many recordings, Guthrie's young children are audible in the background.

"I just want to tell you fellers that I'm awful glad sending this batch of songs to you. This sounds like about the best tape I made so far," said Guthrie in one spoken-word tape.

"I was here at home watching the kids by myself. So the kids tapes I'm sending you, the ones with me and the kids on them, I don't want you sending them back or anything like that. I just want you to keep them and play them, and see the place from whence all good folk songs breed and spring.”

The recordings were transferred and produced by Steve Rosenthal, whose credits include The Rolling Stones, Lou Reed and Blondie. Audio engineer Jessica Thompson restored and mastered the recordings, using antique tape machines alongside modern software to ensure the intact preservation of the tapes while remaining faithful to the analogue nature of the original recordings.

"With recent advancements in sound restoration technology along with the current political climate, I believe this is the right time to release Woody's home tapes," Rosenthal said.

"These are not professional studio recordings, but instead, highlights from Woody's audio sketchbooks. These are his words and music, shared with his publisher Howie Richmond in 1951, and happily in 2025 with us."

The release comes nearly 60 years after Guthrie's death due to Huntington’s disease at age 55.

Granddaughter of Guthrie and president of Woody Guthrie Publications Anna Canoni explained the significance of the release, citing her grandfather's impactful subject matter.

"Woody sings about important moments in history like the plane crash at Los Gatos Canyon and the case of Trenton Six, meeting Albert Einstein and how his theories can help end race hate, stories of the disenfranchised and ignored, he sings about love, and of course, the fight against fascism," Canoni said.

"Woody's gentle, matter-of-fact voice and sometimes out-of-tune guitar is a refreshing and humble reminder of the true power of song."

The only known recording of Guthrie's song 'Deportee (Woody’s Home Tape)' will be released as a single on July 14, coinciding with Guthrie's birthday. The track, also known as 'Plane Wreck at Los Gatos', was written in 1948 in response to an article about a deadly plane crash in Los Gatos Canyon, California. It is available to pre-save now.

The rest of the collection will be released on August 14. More information and the full track listing can be found here: https://woodyathome.com/