Bluegrass legends The Del McCoury Band are set to release Del And Woody, a collection of Woody Guthrie lyrics set to original music composed by Del himself.
“It took a while before I heard his name,” McCoury said of Guthrie. “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 (Guthrie’s daughter) 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.”
The project took several years to come to fruition, McCoury said, but that the product surpasses the typical concept of collaboration.
“The entire album goes back to a place and time that these days are an almost forgotten era,” Arlo Guthrie, Woody’s son, said. “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.”
The Del McCoury Band will tour in support of the release. The album drops April 15 via McCoury Music.