American Pastimes: Woody Guthrie in Chico Ca. 1941, Part Three.

In late 1938, Woody was back in Los Angeles with a new program on radio station KFVD. Within a short time his road partner, the actor Will Geer, convinced him to move to New York. In New York his fame escalated as he recorded albums and hosted a new radio show for CBS. Conflicted by the compromises CBS was forcing on him, he abruptly returned to California in 1941 with his family, and settled briefly in the high Sierras, near Sonora.

That spring while on his way up to Portland and the Bonneville Dam WPA construction project, he and his wife and kids visited briefly with the Crissman family in Chico. He had a contract to write songs and narratives for a government documentary film about the WPA project. Greatly inspired by all that he saw, Woody fulfilled his contract on the Columbia River when he wrote 26 songs in as many days. These include some of his best: “Roll on Columbia”, “Grand Coulee Dam”, “Jackhammer John” and “Hard Travelin’”.

With his WPA contract up, he left his family (the final separation between him and his first wife) and hitchhiked back to New York to take up Pete Seeger’s invitation to join the communal and politically charged Almanac Singers (with Pete, Lee Hays, Mill Lampell or whoever else happened to be available). In the summer of 1941 the Almanacs embarked on a cross-country tour of union hall engagements, but by the time they reached the west coast, only Seeger and Guthrie remained of the group. On their way from Los Angeles up to union stronghold Portland Oregon, Woody returned to Chico one final time. Driving an old Buick up ‘that ribbon of highway’ - Highway 99 - they stayed over in Chico where Woody introduced Pete Seeger to his old radio singing partner Maxine “Lefty Lou” Crissman.

The Almanac Singers finally went their separate ways in 1943 because of two problems: No gigs (the group was blacklisted as communists) and few members (most had enlisted in the military or merchant marines). On his own after a stint in the merchant marines, Woody wrote numerous letters to Maxine, attempting to convince her to resurrect the duo. But she was Maxine Dempsey now and wanted to focus on her new family.

Maxine and her husband Pat eventually moved from Chico to the San Fernando Valley and it was there that she saw Woody for the last time. In 1947, just after the tragic death of his own four-year old daughter, Woody stopped by. He wasn’t in good shape, and once again he asked her to perform with him; this time he wanted to make a record. She declined, and soon after he left with a fond but sad farewell: “Well, Lefty Lou, keep singing. Don’t ever stop singing. That’s all that matters.”

Maxine and her husband later returned to Northern California to work a family dairy ranch. By the late 1960’s they were settled in Carson City, Nevada. Through the years Maxine assisted the authors of two major Woody Guthrie biographies by sharing her experiences and the many letters and memorabilia of her time with Woody. She also contributed her perspective to the PBS American Masters documentary, “Woody Guthrie: Ain’t Got No Home.” Even into her ninth decade, she continued to speak at a variety of Guthrie-related events and celebrations in California and Oklahoma.

Sources:

Joe Klein “Woody Guthrie: A Life” (Alfred A. Knopf, 1980)

Ed Cray “Ramblin’ Man: The Life and Times of Woody Guthrie” (W.W. Norton & Co. 2004)

Richard Reuss “American Folklore and Left-Wing Politics: 1927-1957.” (Indiana University, 1971)

Photo: Woody & Pete, circa 1941.

On American Pastimes: Guthrie songs written for Bonneville Power Project documentary -- “Roll On Columbia”, “Grand Coulee Dam”, “Jackhammer John” and “Hard Travelin’.” Almanac Singers: “Roll the Union On.”