(CelebrityAccess) — Folk singer Arlo Guthrie, son of the legendary Woodie Guthrie and best known for his talking blues song “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” announced that after 50 years, he’s retiring from touring.
Guthrie, who is 73, announced his decision in a long post to his Facebook page, writing: “It’s been a great 50+ years of being a working entertainer, but I reached the difficult decision that touring and stage shows are no longer possible. I’ve cancelled the upcoming shows, and am not accepting offers for new ones.”
In the post, Guthrie details several health challenges, including two strokes that he suffered in 2016 and 2019 that led to his decision to stop touring.
“A folksinger’s shelf life may be a lot longer than a dancer or an athlete, but at some point, unless you’re incredibly fortunate or just plain whacko (either one or both) it’s time to hang up the “Gone Fishing” sign. Going from town to town and doing stage shows, remaining on the road is no longer an option,” he wrote.
Guthrie is best known for “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” which he recorded when he was just eighteen. The song, which clocks in at more than 18 minutes long, recounts Guthrie’s experiences with being arrested for illegal dumping on Thanksgiving and how his brush with the law saved him from being drafted into the military.
Guthrie also scored hits with “City of New Orleans”, “The Motorcycle Song”, and “Coming into Los Angeles”, and performed with the band Shenandoah (not to be confused with the country band of the same name) which included David Grover, Steve Ide, Carol Ide, Terry A La Berry and Dan Velika.
