Woody Guthrie- Owned Set of records Signed & Annotated W/COA

Woody Guthrie Signed Record Sleeve and records- Gifted to their babysitter, "...the sounds and the voices and the music"

A signed and inscribed record sleeve presented by Woody Guthrie to Ruth Sexter, a babysitter to his daughter Cathy and later to son Arlo. 1p, 10" x 11.75", [New York], November 19, 1945. Sexter (also written as "Sexton") was herself familiar with the music industry as a co-writer of "A Boy Without a Girl" (1959), performed by Frankie Avalon.

Guthrie's inscription reads in full:

"To Ruth- who made more and better [illegible], put on more and better acts, and served the populace as great a good by letting Cathy teach her a few facts of life, as did the sounds and the voices and the music here- and maybe done her part to keep any more such stories as these from taking place."

Together with a collection of four vinyl records, including:

- "Buffalo Skinner/Pretty Boy Floyd" by Woody Guthrie (New York, Asch Records)

- "Lost John by Sonny Terry/Union Burying Ground by Woody Guthrie" (New York, Asch Records)

- "The Minute Man/Froggy Bottom" by Josh White (New York, Asch Records), proceeds donated in part to the National Service Fund of Disabled American Veterans

- "Waltzing to Jazz" by Larry Page (New York, April-Blackwood), 45 RPM

Exhibits darked age toning, creasing, and areas of paper loss near edges. Isolated soiling caused by staples, effecting one word of the text. Overall, very good with fantastic inscription- dated just six days after his marriage to Marjorie

The collection comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications)

Postage Worldwide

Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) was a singer-songwriter and composer who is considered one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work notably focused on themes of socialism and anti-fascism, and indeed the singer was often associated with communist groups within the U.S., although there is no evidence that he belonged to any. In February 1940, he wrote his most famous song, "This Land Is Your Land".

Later, during the World War II years, Guthrie believed performing his anti-fascist songs and poems would be the best use of his talents. He ultimately joined the Merchant Marine in 1943, making several voyages during the Battle of the Atlantic. His last ship, "Sea Porpoise", took troops from the United States to England and France for the D-Day invasion. By 1945, however, the government decided that Guthrie's association with communism excluded him from further service in the Merchant Marine, although he was soon drafted into the U.S. Army.

Upon his return to the States, Guthrie was married to Marjorie Mazia on November 13, 1945. The couple had four children: Cathy, Arlo, Joady, and Nora. Their youngest daughter, Cathy Ann, tragically died in a house fire in 1947, around her fourth birthday. At the time this record was gifted, she would have been two years old. Woody and Marjorie, understandably devastated by the event, were yet determined "to hold onto ourselves and to do things the way that Cathy would like to see us do." Ruth, who undoubtedly met Cathy during this brief period, also acted as babysitter to Arlo Guthrie, born soon after her death.