After a shaky, lopsided battle between
piano lessons and baseball (he was a mediocre pianist and an all-star
catcher), folk legend John McCutcheon “found his voice” thanks to a cheap
mail-order guitar and a used book of chords.
From such inauspicious beginnings, John 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 hammer dulcimer.
His 30 recordings have garnered every imaginable honor, including six Grammy
nominations. He has produced over 20 albums by 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
issues important to communities and workers.
Even before graduating summa cum laude from St. John’s 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 to many
of the legendary figures of Appalachian music imbedded 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. The Washington Post has described John as “Folk
Music’s Rustic Renaissance Man.”
Besides his usual circuit of major concert halls and theaters, John is 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 1991’s US-USSR Friendship Tour, playing to packed houses in
both countries. The past several years alone have seen him headline five
different festivals in Australia, tour Nicaragua on behalf of a children’s
literacy program, record four albums of songs and music, give a featured
concert at the AFL CIO Convention, author a second children’s book, produce
three recordings to benefit a community organizing group, tour Chile on
behalf of a women’s health initiative, garner six Grammy nominations, debut
his work with symphony orchestras and serve as the president of Local 1000,
the fastest-growing Local in the American Federation of Musicians.
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 his “little feats of magic ...
breathtaking in their ease and grace ... like a conversation with an
illuminating old friend.” Whether in print, on record, or on stage, few
people communicate with the versatility, charm and pure talent of John
McCutcheon.
