My folk music journey began the Summer I turned 7 when I attended a summer day camp program at the nearby elementary school --- where, as it happens, my mother was a teacher. The music counselor was a fellow named Bill Judd (who was a teacher-friend of my mom's) He played guitar and taught us to sing folk songs. I remember especially that he taught us to sing "This Land Is Your Land" and he told us all about Woody Guthrie, "The Dust Bowl "Balladeer"... I also remember that he told us that Woody was in the hospital and was very sick, so we all made get-well cards for Woody with our crayons (which, presumably, he forwarded along to the hospital)...
Anyway, I went home that night and told my mom that I wanted to (give up the accordion and) learn guitar... so she bought me one... (a second-hand Harmony guitar --- in fact, she bought it from Bill the music teacher), and the first song that I learned to play on that guitar (which I still have) was "This Land Is Your Land"...Fast forward 40 years --- in 2004 I was invited to join the legendary folk band, THE LIMELITERS... and it just so happens that, for the past 20 years, The Limeliters have ended every single concert with our rendition of "This Land Is Your Land". (It never fails to make me smile).
- Andy Corwin