Well, here's a good first candidate ...

...Tomorrow, Nov 21 ...50 years ago, Arlo Guthrie, then a young folk-singer from Brooklyn NY released a new album -- the epic 18.5 minute title track of which filled the entire A-side ...based on a true story which happened on Thanksgiving Day in 1965 in the village of Stockbridge Massachusetts. Actually I drove thru Stockbridge (which is home to the delightfully unique Red Lion Inn, I might add, that Jan and I stayed at in early 1980s, of course, the Norman Rockwell Museum is a short walk away and the church across the street has some awesome stained glass windows!!) a couple weeks ago with an old friend on our way to his family farm in central CT.

Alice, who was sort of Arlo's surrogate mom for some years, became an instant folk hero in the 60s after Guthrie's album release but she closed the instantly-famous restaurant-in-an-old-church a few years later b/c the unwanted 'stardom' was driving here batty (some say not too long a trip as she also had other issues). She did reopen the restaurant in the mid 70s ...her self-taught cooking skills were substantial and her penchant for hard work made it instantly successful once again, but it closed again several years later, I believe ...it was closed in the '80s when we were there.

Anyhow, Arlo's father was 'Woodie' (Woodrow Wilson) Guthrie -- a well-known singer-songwriter who wrote quite a few 'classic' hits for others like "This Land is Your Land" for Peter, Paul and Mary.


Anyhow, the whole Alice's Restaurant album is great! ...A true classic by a talented, and quirky, singer-songwriter! Here's the full original A-side for your enjoyment ;-)