Arlo Guthrie
A folk music storyteller who turned an 18-minute anti-war ballad into a counterculture Thanksgiving tradition.
Born 1947 (age 79)·American folk singer·Birthday: July 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
With a sly, conversational drawl and his father's activist heart, Arlo Guthrie became an unlikely voice of a generation. His career was instantly defined by 'Alice's Restaurant Massacree,' a sprawling, humorous talking-blues song about a littering arrest that morphed into a draft-dodging anthem. That 1967 recording captured the spirit of youthful rebellion and cemented Thanksgiving playlists for decades. While he never chased pop stardom, his warm rendition of 'City of New Orleans' became a radio staple, and his continued work as a folk troubadour carried the torch of Woody Guthrie's social conscience. Living in Massachusetts, he has maintained a steadfast presence on the road and at his own venue, The Guthrie Center, turning family legacy into a living, breathing mission of music and service.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Arlo was born in 1947, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Arlo Was Born
The biggest hits of 1947
#1 Movie
The Egg and I
Best Picture
Gentleman's Agreement
Arlo's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1947Born
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1952Started school
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1960Became a teenager
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Could drive
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1965Could vote
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Turned 21
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1977Turned 30
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 40
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 50
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 60
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 70
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 79 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Wrote and performed 'Alice's Restaurant Massacree,' an 18-minute satirical song that became an anti-Vietnam War anthem and a Thanksgiving radio tradition.
- Had his only Top 40 hit with his cover of Steve Goodman's 'City of New Orleans,' which reached #18 on the Billboard charts in 1972.
- His song 'Massachusetts' was officially designated the state's folk song in 1981.
Did You Know?
He was a close friend of Steve Jobs and performed at his memorial service.
He played the role of himself in the 1969 film adaptation of 'Alice's Restaurant,' directed by Arthur Penn.
He owns and operates the historic Old Trinity Church in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, now known as The Guthrie Center, a interfaith cultural center.
“You can't have a light without a dark to stick it in.”
