An American icon...

At 8 p.m. Wednesday, WPT steps back to an earlier day of folk music to shine a light on the life and career of the legendary Woody Guthrie in American Masters "Ain't Got No Home."

The folk singer wrote more than 1,400 songs in his too-brief life of 55 years, which ended as a result of the genetically disposed degenerative disease Huntington's Chorea. During those years though, he led a diverse life -- wandering the roads of America, meeting people from all walks of life and writing about them in a style that hasn't been matched since. And, as some of his songs (certain verses of "This Land Is Your Land," for example) have come to be considered all-American tunes, it is important to remember that Guthrie was a politically charged activist. He often played a guitar with the message "This Machine Kills Fascists" emblazoned across its face.

Performers and writers still celebrate Guthrie's influence on American culture. Exhibitions of his artwork, celebrations of his writing and performances of his music are still scheduled regularly. Artists like Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger were instrumental in carrying on Guthrie's music. Also, as a living legacy, Guthrie's son Arlo too became one of the country's beloved folksingers and he continues to carry on his father's traditions on the road and in the studio today. His daughter, Nora, was responsible for a project in the late 1990s that saw Billy Bragg and Wilco providing melodies for many of Guthrie's unperformed lyrics.