Guthrie is the youngest daughter of folksinger Arlo Guthrie and the granddaughter of Woody Guthrie. As a third generation singer/songwriter Guthrie released her first self-titled album on the family owned and operated Rising Son Records in 2002. As a child she was involved in theater and dance. Her interest in music was sparked when she worked as her father's road manager on the 1997 Further Festival tour and saw other members of the tour group having fun at late-night hootenannies. She picked up an acoustic guitar and started playing as a way to join in on the fun. "I always wrote poems, so it wasn't that far off for me to turn that into songs."
"My dad was absolutely thrilled, of course, and would teach me stuff every day when we were on the road together. That was a really cool way to get to know my dad, because I'd never known him that way. And that's another thing that made it easy: my dad was so supportive."
thumb|left|Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion performing live for Valentine's Day 2008 at Tales From The Tavern at The Maverick Saloon in Santa Ynez, CA.
Irion originates from a family of artists. His uncle is author Thomas Steinbeck, his grand-uncle is author John Steinbeck, and his grandmother, Rubilee Knight is a classical violinist. His late grandfather, Fred Knight sang tenor in numerous venues. Irion and Guthrie met through a mutual friend (Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes) while the two were working together in Los Angeles. In 1999 Guthrie and Irion joined guitarist Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, grandson of Pete Seeger, and performed as a trio under the name RIG.
Guthrie and Irion have appeared at the Newport Folk Festival, the Philadelphia Folk Festival, as well as nationwide theatres, listening rooms, performing art centers, and schools. When not performing their own shows they tour nationally with Arlo Guthrie, opening the show, then joining him onstage in their family concert series, recently accompanying him at Carnegie Hall with Pete Seeger and The Dillards.
Go Waggaloo, their first children's CD, was released in October 2009 on the Smithsonian Folkways label. Sarah Lee Guthrie is joined by Irion and their two daughters, as well as numerous friends and family members including Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Tao Rodriguez-Seeger. The album includes three songs featuring lyrics by Woody Guthrie never before put to music and eight songs written by Sarah Lee and family.
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