Details of John Mccutcheon and the Ticket Luck value
John Mccutcheon
The Washington Post described John as Virginias Rustic Renaissance Man, a moniker flawed only by its understatement. Wisconsin native John McCutcheon (born August 14, 1952) is an American folk music singer and multi-instrumentalist who has produced over twenty-five albums since the 1970s. He is a graduate of Saint John's University in Minnesota, and now resides in Charlottesville, Virginia.
While in his 20s, McCutcheon traveled to Appalachia and learned from some of the legendary greats of traditional folk music, such as Roscoe Holcomb, I.D. Stamper, and Tommy Hunter. His vast repertoire also includes songs from contemporary writers like Si Kahn as well as a large body of his own music. He is regarded as a master of the hammered dulcimer, and is also proficient on many other instruments including guitar, banjo, autoharp, mountain dulcimer, fiddle, and Jew's harp.
Whether in print, on record, or on stage, few people communicate with the versatility, charm, wit or pure talent of John McCutcheon. Much of his work, however, continues to focus on writing political and socially conscious songs for adult audiences. One of his most successful songs, Christmas in the Trenches (from his 1984 album Winter Solstice) tells the story of the Christmas truce of 1914. When he became a father in the early 1980s he found most children's music unmusical and condescending, and sought to change the situation by releasing a children's album, Howjadoo, in 1983. Originally, he had only intended to do one children's record, but the popularity of this first effort led to the production of several additional children's albums.
No one remembers when the neighbors started calling the McCutcheons to complain about the loud singing from young Johns bedroom. It didnt seem to do much good, though. For, after a shaky, lopsided battle between piano lessons and baseball, he had found his voice thanks to a cheap mail-order guitar and a used book of chords.
He has produced over twenty albums of other artists, from traditional fiddlers to contemporary singer-songwriters to educational and documentary works. His books and instructional materials have introduced budding players to the joys of their own musicality. And his commitment to grassroots political organizations has put him on the front lines of many of the issues important to communities and workers.
From such inauspicious beginnings, John McCutcheon has emerged as one of our most respected and loved folksingers. As an instrumentalist, he is a master of a dozen different traditional instruments, most notably the rare and beautiful hammer dulcimer. His songwriting has been hailed by critics and singers around the globe. His twenty-four recordings have garnered every imaginable honor, including five Grammy nominations.
Even before graduating summa cum laude from Minnesotas St. Johns University, this Wisconsin native literally headed for the hills, forgoing a college lecture hall for the classroom of the eastern Kentucky coal camps, union halls, country churches, and square dance halls. His apprenticeship with many of the legendary figures of Appalachian music was imbedded with a love of not only home-made music, but a sense of community and rootedness. The result is music...whether traditional or from his huge catalog of original songs...with the profound mark of place, family, and strength. It also created a storytelling style that has been compared to Will Rogers and Garrison Keillor.
Calling John McCutcheon a folksinger is like saying Deion Sanders is just a football player... (Dallas Morning News). Besides his usual circuit of major concert halls and theaters, John is equally at home in an elementary school auditorium, a festival stage or at a farm rally. He launched the first-ever joint tour of a Russian and an American folksinger with 1991s US-USSR Friendship Tour, playing to packed houses in both countries.
The past several years have seen him headline five different festivals in Australia, tour Nicaragua on behalf of a childrens literacy program, record four albums of songs and music, perform in the first-ever childrens concert on the Nashville Network, give a featured concert at the AFL/CIO Convention, author a second songbook and a childrens book, score four videos, talk about songwriting with children on National Public Radios All Things Considered, produce three recordings to benefit a community organizing group, garner five Grammy nominations, and debut his work with symphony orchestras.
But it is in live performance that John feels most at home. It is what has brought his music into the lives and homes of one of the broadest audiences any folk musician has ever enjoyed. People of every generation and background seem to feel at home in a concert hall when John McCutcheon takes the stage, with what critics describe as little feats of magic, breathtaking in their ease and grace..., and like a conversation with an illuminating old friend.
Loading...