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Arlo Guthrie: Born to Play Music

Arlo Guthrie.
Arlo Guthrie.

Arlo Guthrie is the oldest son of folk-music legend Woody Guthrie and Marjorie Mazia Guthrie, a dancer in the Martha Graham Company. He has become a musician of international renown without ever experiencing what can be classified a hit: While "Alice's Restaurant" and "Coming Into Los Angeles" were immensely popular among crowds at the 1969 Woodstock and Newport Folk Festival, they didn't gain much radio airplay.

Music was a natural career choice for Guthrie, who grew up surrounded by musicians and dancers, and he started performing publicly at 13. An accomplished musician, Guthrie plays piano, harmonica, a six and twelve-string guitar and at least a dozen other instruments. His diverse talents also include arranging his own music, acting, writing, doing charitable work and running his own record label. Even after four decades of touring the world, Guthrie still tours almost 10 months a year, frequently accompanied by one or both of his children, Abe and Sarah Lee.

Copyright 2006 XPN

David Dye is a longtime Philadelphia radio personality whose music enthusiasm has captivated listeners of World Cafe® since 1991. World Cafe is produced by WXPN, the public radio service of the University of Pennsylvania.