Description
Reg Meuross’s third song cycle – commissioned by Pete Townshend and created by Reg, ‘Fire & Dust: The Woody Guthrie Story’ is a journey into the heart and soul of one of America’s finest folk musicians.
The breadth and depth of Reg Meuross’s material is unparalleled in contemporary folk: songs about forgotten heroes, famous names, folk legends, the climate emergency, tales from the kitchen sink and news from the world stage. If something needs to be sung about then Reg Meuross has a song for it and with Fire & Dust another important chapter of impeccably researched story-telling has begun.
“Reg’s terrific songs tell Woody’s life story with respect and affection, but also truth.“ Pete Townshend
Seeded by Townshend in 2019, this new work shows how the impact of Guthrie remains and how Meuross was the right man to tell this story through music and song. When Townshend called Reg to suggest the idea he saw how the project would “draw a direct line from Woody, through Bob Dylan, to Reg Meuross” and pledged his full support to realise this vision both as a studio album (which he co-produced and played on) and a series of live tours across the UK.
© Reg Meuross 2025 Publishing First Original Music Ltd
Produced by Pete Townshend for Extended Play, Financial Controller Juliet Allcock
Recorded and engineered by Myles Clarke & Michael Nyandoro
Mastered by John Wood
Studio Assistant Simon Law General Assistant Rebecca Fuller
Management Katie Whitehouse at From The Whitehouse Ltd
Artwork & Design Joey Meuross
Project consultant Emeritus Professor of American Cultural History at the University of Central Lancashire
Info and contact: regmeuross.com katie@fromthewhitehouse.com07832 200980
Special thanks to Pete Townshend for suggesting this project, for making it possible and for keeping faith throughout.
Credits
Reg Meuross: Guitar & Lead Vocal on all tracks, Harmonica, Banjo & Backing Vocals
Geraint Watkins: Accordion, Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Pete Townshend: Bass Guitar Tr 1. Keyboard Tr 1 & 15, Backing Vocal Tr 8
Phil Beer: Mandolin, Slide Guitar, Fiddle on Tr 16, Backing Vocals
Marion Fleetwood: Fiddle (inc Tr 16), additional strings, Backing Vocals, shared Vocal Tr 3
Roy Dodds: Drums, Percussion
Simon Edwards: Bass Guitar
Bethany Porter: Cello, Additional Vocal Tr 12
Katie Whitehouse: Backing Vocal Tr 5/9/10
