Bette Midler to receive 2026 Woody Guthrie Prize at Tulsa's Cain's
Bette Midler to receive 2026 Woody Guthrie Prize at Tulsa's Cain's
Brandy McDonnell, The OklahomanFri, October 16, 2026 at 11:30 PM UTC
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A legendary actress, singer and activist is haunting Tulsa to accept a prestigious award.
Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award-winning entertainer Bette Midler is receiving the 2026 Woody Guthrie Prize during an event Friday, Oct. 16, at the historic Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa.
For more than 50 years, Midler, 80, has inspired audiences around the world as a writer, comedian and producer. The two-time Academy Award nominee is known for her roles in films like "The Rose," "Beaches," "The First Wives Club" and the spooky season cult favorite "Hocus Pocus" and its 2022 sequel.
On Broadway, "The Divine Miss M" starred as Dolly Gallagher Levi in the celebrated musical "Hello Dolly!," for which she won a 2017 Tony. As a singer, the "Wind Beneath My Wings" hitmaker's albums have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide.
In spring, Midler released a revamped version of Guthrie's iconic protest song “All You Fascists Bound to Lose” that she co-wrote with Eric Kornfeld, speaking out against President Donald Trump's policies and promoting voter turnout in the midterm elections. Co-directed by Toni Basil and Seanne Farmer, the music video features Midler alongside with her "Beaches" co-star Barbara Hershey, with appearances by fellow performers David Hyde Pierce, Jenifer Lewis, Shoshana Bean and more.
“I am so honored to have been chosen to receive the Woody Guthrie Prize this year. I loved his music, and I loved the way he lived his life, always seeking to spread the word that justice could and should be served and that every American, no matter what their station, deserved a fair shake in life,” Midler said in a statement.
“His integrity, his honesty and his moral compass inspired me and countless others to climb aboard his train, and to live our lives dedicated to the principles he taught us through his songs. In this world, there are the powerful and the powerless, and he spoke to and for the powerless."
U2, Mavis Staples and Bruce Springsteen are among the previous recipients of the Woody Guthrie Prize
The Woody Guthrie Prize is awarded annually by the Tulsa-based Woody Guthrie Center to an artist who best exemplifies Oklahoma native Woody Guthrie’s spirit and work by speaking for the less fortunate through music, film, literature, dance or other art forms and serving as a positive force for social change.
"It's an award that honors Woody's legacy, and it's given to an artist that is carrying that legacy forward," Cady Shaw, senior director of the Woody Guthrie Center, told The Oklahoman last year.
Opened in 2013 in the downtown Tulsa Arts District, the Woody Guthrie Center celebrates the life, music and artistry of the influential Oklahoma-born folk singer-songwriter, while seeking to ignite a passion for social change and foster a world in which the values of justice, equality and compassion prevail.
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In his relatively short life, Okemah native Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) wrote prose, poetry and thousands of songs — including "This Land is Your Land," "Oklahoma Hills" and "Pastures of Plenty" — and inspired a wide range of musicians, from Bruce Springsteen and Pete Seeger to Lead Belly and Guthrie's own son, Arlo Guthrie.
Midler joins past Woody Guthrie Prize recipients Pete Seeger (2014), Mavis Staples (2015), Kris Kristofferson (2016), Norman Lear (2017), John Mellencamp (2018), Chuck D (2019), Joan Baez (2020), Springsteen (2021), Pussy Riot (2023), Tom Morello (2024) and U2 (2025).
“What I love about Bette Midler is that she is one of the rare artists that bring joy, laughter and love to the Good Fight," said Nora Guthrie, Woody Guthrie's daughter, in a statement. "Always on the side of people that are historically unseen or ignored, Bette brings all of them to our attention. Using everything she's got — a song, a dance, a film, a good joke — all her talents are directed towards one goal, to support the often precarious lives of others.”
Beyond her entertainment career, Midler is recognized as an advocate for environmental conservation, public spaces, LGBTQ+ rights, public health initiatives and a wide range of humanitarian causes.
In 1995, she founded the New York Restoration Project, an open space conservancy and New York City’s largest private land trust. The project is dedicated to protecting and preserving community gardens and other green spaces throughout all five NYC boroughs. It owns and manages 52 community gardens, maintains more than 80 acres of parkland, and, in collaboration with the New York City Parks Department, has planted in excess of 1 million trees.
Prize event is the most important fundraiser of the year for Tulsa's Woody Guthrie Center
The 2026 Woody Guthrie Prize event on Friday, Oct. 16, at Cain's Ballroom is to feature remarks from Shaw and members of the Guthrie family, the award ceremony and a conversation between Midler and music journalist Rona Elliot.
The Tulsa fundraising event is to conclude with a special solo acoustic performance by rising country star Bryan Andrews.
“We are delighted to recognize Bette Midler with the 2026 Woody Guthrie Prize and celebrate not only her remarkable artistic achievements, but also her enduring commitment to creating a more just, more inclusive and more hopeful world, just like Woody,” said Shaw in an email.
“Her participation in this event, our most important fundraiser of the year, will ensure our educational programs, events and exhibits remain possible and accessible.”
For tickets and more information, go to https://woodyguthriecenter.org/events.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Bette Midler to receive 2026 Woody Guthrie Prize at Tulsa's Cain's
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
