Woody Guthrie was the 'Dust Bowl Balladeer,' a folk singer whose songs captured the struggles of the American working class during the Great Depression. His guitar famously bore the inscription 'This Machine Kills Fascists,' reflecting his political activism. In 1940, he wrote 'This Land Is Your Land' as a critical response to Irving Berlin's 'God Bless America,' which Guthrie felt ignored the realities of poverty and inequality. Guthrie wrote thousands of songs, ranging from children's tunes to political anthems. His influence on the 1960s folk revival was immense; he was the primary idol of a young Bob Dylan. Despite suffering from Huntington's disease which ended his performing career early, Guthrie’s legacy as the quintessential American folk traveler and songwriter remains a cornerstone of the genre.