Woody Guthrie 1912-1967 Woody Gurthrie was a famous folk singer who wrote over a thousand songs. He wrote “This Land is Your Land” in 1940 when he hitchhiked from Los Angeles to New York City. Woody did not have an easy life. He lived during the Great Depression. During that time there was a drought and plants didn’t grow. People started moving out of the “Dust Bowl” to California in hopes of finding jobs. These migrants lived in crowded camps and many of them never found jobs. Woody sang and wrote songs about life and what he saw across America. He always spoke up for people in need. “Stick up for what you know is right,” Woody wrote. “This land was made for you and me.”