New series 1/4. Billy Bragg goes on the trail of American folk legend Woody Guthrie (1912-67) to tell the story of an artist who influenced so many - including Bob Dylan, who described him as "my last hero" - yet who lived so simply, riding hobo on the trains and hitching his way across the devastated heart of America in the wake of the great dust storms of the 1930s. Contributors include Arlo Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Seeger, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Country Joe McDonald, Tom Paxton, Donovan, Ralph McTell and Bob Geldof. Producer Neil Rosser
In the history of American popular music, certain names recur, not necessarily because they were the first or even the best in their field, but because they catalysed something that later performers could develop. Examples include Louis Armstrong (jazz), the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers (country), Elvis (rock 'n' roll) and, in the field of folk music, Woody Guthrie (above). His music was rooted in the country tradition and in the ballads of people he met while hoboing around the country. But he also wrote political songs that spoke for the plight of the downtrodden - and as the roving man-of-the-people whose only possession was the guitar on his back, he became a romantic legend. Small wonder he was an inspiration to the folk singers of the 60s and later, and that so many of them agreed to talk about him in this four-parter presented by Billy Bragg. (Richard Partridge)