 Arlo Guthrie was born July, 1947, in Brooklyn, New York. His
father was the preeminent American folk singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie, and his
mother, Marjorie Mazia Guthrie, was a former dancer with the Martha Graham
Company.
Because of his father's popularity in the folk music circuits, Guthrie grew up
surrounded by folksingers and songwriters, like Pete Seeger, Lee Hays (The
Weavers), Ramblin' Jack, and Leadbelly. As a result, Arlo became integrated into
the singer/songwriter world at a relatively young age.
His first live performance was when he was just 13 years old. After that, he
began hanging out in all the major clubs of the folk revival era, and rubbing
elbows with the new generation of topical songwriters like Phil Ochs and his
father's protegee Bob Dylan.
In 1967, he enjoyed extreme success with his album Alice's Restaurant, which
included an 18-minute-long title track that served as a vocal protest against
the Vietnam War. The song and album were such a success, that Arthur Penn
directed a film version of the song two years later, in which Arlo played
himself.
Without ever having actually had a real "hit" record, Guthrie's popularity has
continued to grow and expand. He has toured internationally for nearly 40 years,
and launched his own Rising Son record label in 1983.
In 1991, he purchased the Trinity Church – the original inspiration behind
Alice's Restaurant – and renamed it the Guthrie Center. The Guthrie Center is a
non-profit interfaith church that helps raise money and conduct outreach for
HIV/AIDS patients and those suffering from Huntington's Disease (from which his
father died), as well as offering a meditation space for those wishing to use
it.
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