Before Arlo

Guthrie was born in 1947, people could have probably told you that he

would be a creative force to be reckoned with. His father, Woody Guthrie,

was one of the most famous folksingers this country has ever seen and

his mother, Marjorie Mazia Guthrie, was a professional dancer with the

Martha Graham Company and founder of The Committee to Combat Huntington's

Disease. Growing up Arlo was surrounded by musicians and dancers such

as Pete Seeger, Leadbelly, Ramblin' Jack Elliot and Brownie McGee, so

it was no surprise that he became a folksinger and a successful one at

that. Guthrie will perform this Friday and Saturday at the Frederick Brown

Jr. Amphitheater.

He began performing

in public at the age of 13 and was soon playing at venues that were at

the center of a movement that included artists such as Bob Dylan, Joan

Baez and Joni Mitchell among others. Though many singer-songwriters at

the time had a hard time distinguishing themselves, Guthrie was known

for his sense of humor and his ability to tell a story. His song "Alice's

Restaurant," from the album of the same name, effectively blended

a funny and poignant story within a song. It was later made into a film

in 1969 by Arthur Penn and continues to enjoy success as new fans are

introduced to Guthrie.

Though Guthrie

has built an enormous fan base through near constant touring, his songs

have never received enough airplay to become commercial successes. His

biggest hit may be his rendition of Steve Goodman's "City of New

Orleans." Guthrie has performed in North America, Asia, Europe and

Australia and tours with his daughter Sarah Lee, who plays acoustic guitar

and contributes supporting vocals, and his son, Abe, who plays keyboards

and provides additional vocals as well.

Guthrie has

been a busy man in the past few years. On top of touring close to 10 months

out of the year, he has performed with various symphony orchestras across

the country including an evening with the Boston Pops, which was taped

for PBS. He released the album "Mystic Journey" in 1996 and

"Alice's Restaurant: The Massacre Revisited," a 30th anniversary

re-recording of the original album with an updated version of the title

song and "This Land is Your Land," which was nominated for a

Grammy for Best Musical Album for Children. He is also currently working

on an album of songs by his father, with special guests, The Dillards,

a tribute album to his friend Derroll Adams, with help from Donovan, Billy

Connelly and others, and is also working on an album of his orchestrated

material.

In addition

to his musical career, Guthrie has appeared on television with roles in

"Byrds of Paradise," "Relativity," and "Renegade."

He is also the author of the award winning children's book "Mooses

Come Walking." In 1991, Guthrie purchased the Trinity Church, which

is where many of the events in "Alice's Restaurant" took place.

He has since turned it into The Guthrie Center, a not for profit, interfaith

church foundation that provides a variety of local and international services,

as well as just a place to meditate. For more information on Guthrie,

visit www.arlo.net.

Arlo Guthrie

will perform at 8 p.m. at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater. Jeannie

Johnson will open the show. Single tickets are still available for the

show for $35 and standing room only tickets will go on sale at the box

office at 6 p.m. the night of the show. These tickets will also cost $35.

Phone 770-631-0630.

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