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While in Pampa, as a young man, Woody formed his first musical groups, including "The Corn Cob Trio," with Matt Jennings and Cluster Baker, as well as a duded-up combo, complete with white fur chaps and moustaches, who played for such prestigious gatherings as the Pampa Chamber of Commerce.
Woody's musical tutor was his Uncle Jeff Guthrie, who, with his wife Allene, played for many gatherings in the Pampa area. Jeff worked as a patrolman for the Pampa Police Department when he wasn't playing music or doing magic tricks. Woody would practice what he had learned from his uUncle Jeff, sitting in that front window of the HARRIS DRUGS, picking away at the guitar.
Musical ability for any number of instruments came naturally for Woody, and he became reasonably skilled at harmonica, stand-up bass (it was taller than he was), mandolin and fiddle as well as guitar.
Making up songs also seemed to come naturally, and that interest brought on an unusual revelation one day to his best friend. He told Matt Jennings that he hoped he could someday write a song that everyone around the world would know and sing. What a prophecy! But because he dropped out of Pampa High School and did not graduate, his internationally-known "This Land is Your Land" has never been accepted as a tradition to sing at high school functions, even though Irving Berlin's "God Bless America," written about the same time, is frequently on the program.
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| | Copyright 2006 Pampa's Tribute to Woody Guthrie |
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