John McCutcheon

For the newspaper cartoonist, see John T. McCutcheon. For the New Jersey State Comptroller, see John McCutcheon (New Jersey).
John McCutcheon performs at Blue Mountains Music Festival in Australia, March 2010.

John McCutcheon (born August 14, 1952) is an American folk music singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has produced 34 albums since the 1970s.[1] 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 jawharp.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

Career

McCutcheon was born to Roman Catholic parents in Wausau, Wisconsin. He attended Saint James Grade School and graduated from Newman Catholic High School. He is a graduate of Saint John's University in Minnesota. While in his 20s, he travelled 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 (e.g. "Gone Gonna Rise Again", "Rubber Blubber Whale") as well as a large body of his own music.

When McCutcheon 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.

Much of his work, however, continues to focus on writing politically 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. In his performances, McCutcheon often introduces his music with a story, and has become known as a storyteller. He has made multiple appearances at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesboro, Tennessee. He is married to children's author and storyteller, Carmen Agra Deedy.

McCutcheon's music has, since the 1990s, increasingly evolved into heartland rock-influenced ballads, while he still occasionally performs purer folk music, particularly when playing the dulcimer.

In 2011 McCutcheon portrayed IWW organizer and songwriter Joe Hill in Si Kahn's one-man play Joe Hill's Last Will, produced by Main Stage West in Sebastopol, California.

Discography

References

  1. ↑ Ledgin, Stephanie P. (2010). Discovering Folk Music. ISBN 0-275-99387-6.
  2. ↑ Palca, Joe (September 28, 1997). "John McCutcheon". NPR. Retrieved August 20, 2014 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  3. ↑ Gartner, Paul (April 11, 2002). "ALL IN THE FAMILY: John McCutcheon's labor of musical love comes to town". The Charleston Gazette. Retrieved August 20, 2014 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  4. ↑ Wertheimer, Linda (June 21, 1993). "Folk Singer John McCutcheon Shares Music With Children". NPR. Retrieved August 20, 2014 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  5. ↑ Hemmesch, Michael (May 12, 2006). "JOHN MCCUTCHEON CONCERTS CAP 'FAMILY FUN DAY' EVENTS ON MAY 20 AT SAINT JOHN'S". US Fed News Service. Retrieved August 20, 2014 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  6. ↑ Reed, Bill (February 6, 2004). "OLD SCHOOL FOLK McCutcheon gets his inspiration from what's going on around him". The Gazette. Retrieved August 20, 2014 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  7. ↑ Holahan, Jane (March 2, 2006). "John McCutcheon: Song sung purple". Intelligencer Journal. Retrieved August 20, 2014 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  8. ↑ Roque-lutz, Marichelle (May 4, 2007). "McCutcheon plays in concert with crowd". Intelligencer Journal. Retrieved August 20, 2014 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  9. ↑ Zaretsky, Mark (April 13, 2012). "Folkie John McCutcheon Spins Both Good Songs and Stories". New Haven Register. Retrieved August 20, 2014 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  10. ↑ Joyce, Mike (December 9, 1988). "McCutcheon's Art as Craft: `Gonna Rise'". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 20, 2014 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  11. ↑ Joyce, Mike (December 11, 1987). "McCutcheon & Co.: Young Folkies' Songs". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 20, 2014 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  12. ↑ Taubeneck, Anne (November 13, 1992). "McCutcheon's Music Transcends Age". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved August 20, 2014 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  13. ↑ Bird, Rick (January 18, 1996). "VERSATILE MCCUTCHEON IN TOWN.(TIMEOUT)". The Cincinnati Post. Retrieved August 20, 2014 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  14. 1 2 Himes, Geoffrey (October 17, 1997). "JOHN McCUTCHEON; TOM CHAPIN". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 20, 2014 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  15. 1 2 Himes, Geoffrey (November 1, 2002). "JOHN MCCUTCHEON "The Greatest ...". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 20, 2014 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  16. ↑ Bream, Jon (November 6, 1998). "Music: John McCutcheon.(VARIETY)". Star Tribune. Retrieved August 20, 2014 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  17. ↑ "SPOTLIGHT: JOHN MCCUTCHEON.(Rhythm)". The Wisconsin State Journal. October 14, 1999. Retrieved August 20, 2014 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  18. ↑ Lewis, Catherine P. (April 14, 2006). "JOHN MCCUTCHEON "Mightier ...". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 20, 2014 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).

External links

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