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Description
When The Who's Pete Townshend commissions you to create an album encompassing the life and times of the great Woody Guthrie you know you must be doing something right.
Celebrated Somerset-based singer-songwriter Reg Meuross was the man Townshend set in his sights to devise the release and the result is a 16-track tour de force rekindling the life one of the most significant figures in American folk music.
He was an apt choice with an enviable back catalogue. When people ask where all the protest singers are now, they need look no further than Meuross. Few songwriters have contributed more to the protest and commentary song annals than him so who better to compose a song cycle homage to 'The Father of Protest'.
In many ways a latter-day Guthrie, Meuross embarked on four years of meticulous research into the life of the man dubbed 'The Dust Bowl Balladeer', totally immersing himself in the subject.
The result is the mighty Fire & Dust, released on Hatsongs Records on March 14, 2025 and produced by Townshend.
This impactful, perceptive new song cycle shines a bright light on Woodrow Wilson Guthrie's roller coaster life and notably has received a nod of approval from Woody's daughter Nora.
Townshendwho also plays on two of the tracks (bass guitar and keyboards) says: "Reg's terrific songs tell Woody's life story with respect and affection, but also truth".
When he commissioned the new work he saw the project as 'drawing a direct line from Woody through Bob Dylan to Reg Meuross'.
"Fire & Dust reveals a Woody Guthrie who was, above all, human. An activist, a humanitarian, tireless in his support for the working man, he was a poor parent, and a poor husband who put the causes he sang about so passionately before his duty to his own family. For me, through Reg's brilliant songs, learning that Woody was a man with faults - just like me and most men I know - brought him to life in a new way."
Tracklisting
Reg Meuross
Reg Meuross And Harbottle & Jonas
Reg Meuross
Reg Meuross
Jess Vincent
Reg Meuross
Reg Meuross
Reg Meuross
Reg Meuross
Reg Meuross
Reg Meuross
Reg Meuross
Reg Meuross
Reg Meuross
Reg Meuross
