Woody Guthrie was the original singer/songwriter, an all-American troubadour who fought for the common man in a patriotic and equally subversive manner. Guthrie did some hard cross-country traveling in the '30s, writing a host of folksy, iconic ballads about his experiences. He met Pete Seeger in 1940, forming a friendship that would continue years later when the two performed together in The Almanac Singers. Guthrie kept on writing until he became debilitated by Huntington's disease, and proved to be a major influence on the '60s folk revival that spawned young disciple Bob Dylan.