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Los Angeles New Year's Flood

from Radio Songs: Woody Guthrie in Los Angeles by Darryl Holter

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about

Eighty years ago, on New Year’s Day, 1934, a sudden powerful cloudburst hammered the Los Angeles region and turned the Los Angeles River into a raging torrent of water, mud and boulders. Bridges, roads, and homes were destroyed but no group was hit harder than the thousands of poor people who lived in encampments of tents and small shacks along the banks of the river and its tributaries. To add drama to the song, Guthrie opens with references to New Year’s celebrations when “the lights of old Los Angeles were flickering oh so bright.” He then shifts to describe the fate of those unfortunate enough to be living alongside the river, whose “homes were torn and scattered by that fatal New Year’s flood.” Guthrie’s estimate that “a hundred souls were taken” is probably an exaggeration, although due to the poverty and instability of the riverside inhabitants, it is unlikely that all deaths were ever accounted for. Another flood occurred in 1938 and in the 1940s the river began its long descent into concrete captivity. Today there is a new interest in restoring the river to its old self.

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from Radio Songs: Woody Guthrie in Los Angeles, released April 23, 2021

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Darryl Holter Los Angeles, California

Darryl Holter grew up playing the guitar and singing country and rock and roll songs in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His current brand of Americana music draws from country, blues and folk traditions and often tells stories about people, places and events.

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