Woody Guthrie in Will Geer's apartment. Guthrie made his first recordings—several hours of conversation and songs recorded by the folklorist Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress—as well as an album, "Dust Bowl Ballads," for Victor Records in Camden, New Jersey. In February 1940 he wrote his most famous song, "This Land Is Your Land", as a response to what he felt was an overplaying of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America" on the radio. Guthrie thought the lyrics were unrealistic and complacent. He adapted the melody from an old gospel song, "Oh My Loving Brother", which had been adapted by the country
Always (Irving Berlin song) Always (Irving Berlin song) "Always" is a popular song written by Irving Berlin in 1925, as a wedding gift for his wife Ellin McKay, whom he married in 1926, and to whom he presented the substantial royalties. Although legend (and Groucho Marx) claims Berlin wrote the song "Always" for "The Cocoanuts", he never meant for the song to be included in the play. Hit versions have also been recorded by such diverse artists as Benny Goodman, Charlie Barnet, Tony Bennett, Patsy Cline, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Bill Evans, Billy Corgan, Leonard Cohen, Phil Collins, Machito and The Ink Spots. Billy