Remembering the music that put Grand Coulee on the map
Eighty years ago Washington state was forever changed by the Grand Coulee Dam. The dam still provides tons of hydropower today. It also created a reservoir used to nourish an abundance of Washington crops. When the dam was finally completed in January of 1943, federal officials enlisted folk music legend Woody Guthrie to write a series of 26 songs about the dam.
It’s a quirky moment in U.S. and music’s history — but it produced instant classics that many will recognize, like “Roll on Columbia.”
Today, "Soundside" is taking a look at the story that led to Guthrie’s Grand Coulee Dam collection, and how that music has changed through time. Host Libby Denkmann was joined by KEXP’s Greg Vandy, who wrote a book on the subject in 2016 titled, “26 songs in 30 days: Woody Guthrie’s Columbia River Songs and the Planned Promised Land in the Pacific Northwest.”
Listen to the full segment by clicking "play" on the audio above.
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Libby Denkmann
Host, Soundside
Libby Denkmann joined KUOW in December 2021 as the host of the midday show Soundside. She’s a native Pacific Northwesterner who grew up in Redmond, graduated from the University of Washington, and covered local news as a producer and reporter with KIRO Radio.
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Alec Cowan
Producer, Soundside
Alec Cowan is a producer for Soundside. His interests have brought many eclectic stories to the program, and his segments gravitate toward history, technology, arts and culture, and the environment. He's proud to be KUOW's unofficial "boat guy."
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