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Chester A. Reynolds Award
Awarded in 2006
Guy William Logsdon
Dr. Guy William Logsdon was a celebrated folklorist, author, musician, and nationally recognized authority on Woody Guthrie and Western Swing. Born in Ada, Oklahoma, on May 31, 1934, he grew up in a musical family and was performing bass in the Logsdon Family Band by the age of thirteen. His early life blended music, storytelling, and hard work at the family’s furniture and Western wear stores—experiences that helped shape his lifelong passion for Oklahoma history and culture.
Logsdon attended East Central University, where he met and married Phyllis Landers of Okemah. Her hometown ties first sparked his interest in Woody Guthrie, leading him to uncover and document the truth behind Guthrie’s misunderstood legacy. That research would become one of Logsdon’s defining scholarly pursuits.
After teaching high school English in Payson, Arizona, he returned to Oklahoma to complete a master’s degree in Library Science and a doctorate in education from the University of Oklahoma. In 1967, he became Director of Libraries at the University of Tulsa—then the youngest director of a major university library in the country. By this time, he and Phyllis were also a well-known musical duo, performing folk and Western music across the state.
A prolific writer, Logsdon authored books including The University of Tulsa: A History, 1882–1972; The Whorehouse Bells Were Ringing and Other Songs Cowboys Sing; Saddle Serenaders; Ada, Oklahoma, Queen City of the Chickasaw Nation; and The Flip of the Coin; The Story of Tommy Allsup. His acclaimed work Woody’s Road, co-authored with Mary Jo Guthrie Edgmon, is a landmark contribution to Guthrie scholarship. He also wrote extensive liner notes for Smithsonian Folkways recordings of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.
Logsdon’s influence extended beyond writing. He created the first Tulsa State Fair Fiddlers Contest, produced the country’s first Western Swing Festival, narrated the public television series Folklore of the Southwest, and served as a consultant on the 1976 Woody Guthrie film Bound for Glory. He coordinated and emceed the Oklahoma stage during the 1982 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., and was a founding organizer of Okemah’s Woody Guthrie Folk Festival—now known as WoodyFest.
Known worldwide as a leading Woody Guthrie scholar, Logsdon was equally respected for his deep knowledge of Western Swing and his friendships with legends Bob and Johnnie Lee Wills and members of the Texas Playboys. He served on the boards of the Oklahoma Historical Society and the National Fiddlers Hall of Fame, and was a valued advisor to the OKPOP Museum.
Throughout his life, the Logsdon home was full of music, books, conversation, and laughter—a true reflection of his belief that culture should be shared, celebrated, and lived.
Dr. Guy William Logsdon was a celebrated folklorist, author, musician, and nationally recognized authority on Woody Guthrie and Western Swing. Born in Ada, Oklahoma, on May 31, 1934, he grew up in a musical family and was performing bass in the Logsdon Family Band by the age of thirteen. His early life blended music, storytelling, and hard work at the family’s furniture and Western wear stores—experiences that helped shape his lifelong passion for Oklahoma history and culture.
Logsdon attended East Central University, where he met and married Phyllis Landers of Okemah. Her hometown ties first sparked his interest in Woody Guthrie, leading him to uncover and document the truth behind Guthrie’s misunderstood legacy. That research would become one of Logsdon’s defining scholarly pursuits.
After teaching high school English in Payson, Arizona, he returned to Oklahoma to complete a master’s degree in Library Science and a doctorate in education from the University of Oklahoma. In 1967, he became Director of Libraries at the University of Tulsa—then the youngest director of a major university library in the country. By this time, he and Phyllis were also a well-known musical duo, performing folk and Western music across the state.
A prolific writer, Logsdon authored books including The University of Tulsa: A History, 1882–1972; The Whorehouse Bells Were Ringing and Other Songs Cowboys Sing; Saddle Serenaders; Ada, Oklahoma, Queen City of the Chickasaw Nation; and The Flip of the Coin; The Story of Tommy Allsup. His acclaimed work Woody’s Road, co-authored with Mary Jo Guthrie Edgmon, is a landmark contribution to Guthrie scholarship. He also wrote extensive liner notes for Smithsonian Folkways recordings of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.
Logsdon’s influence extended beyond writing. He created the first Tulsa State Fair Fiddlers Contest, produced the country’s first Western Swing Festival, narrated the public television series Folklore of the Southwest, and served as a consultant on the 1976 Woody Guthrie film Bound for Glory. He coordinated and emceed the Oklahoma stage during the 1982 Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C., and was a founding organizer of Okemah’s Woody Guthrie Folk Festival—now known as WoodyFest.
Known worldwide as a leading Woody Guthrie scholar, Logsdon was equally respected for his deep knowledge of Western Swing and his friendships with legends Bob and Johnnie Lee Wills and members of the Texas Playboys. He served on the boards of the Oklahoma Historical Society and the National Fiddlers Hall of Fame, and was a valued advisor to the OKPOP Museum.
Throughout his life, the Logsdon home was full of music, books, conversation, and laughter—a true reflection of his belief that culture should be shared, celebrated, and lived.
