John Fullbright

Last updated

John Fullbright
John Fullbright, Aug. 2014.jpg
Fullbright performing at the Myriad Gardens in Oklahoma City, OK.
Background information
Born (1988-04-23) April 23, 1988 (age 35)
Okemah, Oklahoma
United States
Genres Americana
Folk
Pop
Rock
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica
Years active2009–present
LabelsBlue Dirt Records
Website johnfullbrightmusic.com

John Fullbright (born April 23, 1988) is an American singer-songwriter from Okemah, Oklahoma. While still in high school, Fullbright performed at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah. In 2009 he released the album Live at the Blue Door and three years later released his first studio album, From the Ground Up, which received a Grammy nomination in the category Best Americana Album. He has been the subject of two segments on NPR [1] [2] and was a 2012 winner of ASCAP Foundation's Harold Adamson Lyric Award. [3]

Contents

Early life

Fullbright grew up on an 80-acre farm in Okemah, Oklahoma. He began playing the piano at age five and taking piano lessons at the age nine. [4] Fullbright attended public school in Okemah, Oklahoma, and graduated from Okemah High School. [5] While still in high school he performed in an Okemah restaurant using an amplifier borrowed from the school band [6] and made his debut performance at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival. [7]

Fullbright briefly attended Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, Oklahoma, but left college to work with musician Mike McClure. A year later, after appearing on McClure's 2008 release did7, Fullbright began his solo career. [8]

Early career: 2008–2012

Fullbright got his start in the music industry as a member of the Oklahoma band the Turnpike Troubadours [9] also from the Okemah area.

He performed an Oklahoma City venue called The Blue Door for the first time in April 2008. Live at the Blue Door was recorded by Travis Linville on February 17, 2009, his fourth appearance at the venue, the night before he left for the 2009 Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis. [8] The owner of the club later became Fullbright's manager. [4] In 2012 Fullbright's performance at the SXSW was described as being "as perfect as if it were a Jonathan Demme concert film." [10] In June, he played the main stage at the Kerrville Folk Festival [8] and in July at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival's Pastures of Plenty main stage. The music reviewer at No Depression wrote in her blog: "People who hadn’t heard Fullbright previously were stopped in their tracks by the brilliance of this 24-year-old whose mature lyrics have an immediate impact." [11]

Fullbright's debut studio release From the Ground Up – released on May 8, 2012 – was recorded and mixed at 115 Recording in Norman, Oklahoma with producer/engineer Wes Sharon. The title of the release pays homage to the farmhouse where he grew up. Fullbright states: "Every song on this record was written in that house, and I was kind of written in that house." [1] In the studio with his backing musicians, Fullbright was almost immediately captivated by what he was hearing. Although he initially thought he would leave the studio with a demo record, he says: "We got lost in it in those three hours we were recording. We all looked at each other and thought, ‘No, this is the record. It’s not going to get any better than this anywhere else." [12]

Favorable reviews include The Washington Times which said: "From the Ground Up proves to be a killer debut, pairing sharply worded stories that resonate with confident performances that pop." [13] The album peaked at #10 on the Billboard Top Folk Albums chart for the week of June 9, 2012. [14]

Fullbright performed at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tribute concert honoring Chuck Berry on October 27, 2012. The concert – part of the Hall's American Music Masters Series – took place in Cleveland at the State Theater. [15] Fullbright played keyboard and harmonica on "Downbound Train." [16] In his review of the show for Cleveland Scene, Jeff Niesel wrote: "While the New York Dolls David Johansen and Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister brought star power to the show, it was little known Americana singer-pianist John Fullbright who really shined on his contribution, a moody rendition of "Downbound Train." [17]

Fullbright performing at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival. JohnFullbrightWoodyFest2014.jpg
Fullbright performing at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival.

On December 5, 2012, From the Ground Up was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Americana Album. [18] Fullbright says that he was scrubbing his bathtub when he learned that From the Ground Up – which he says co-producer Wes Sharon refers to as "the little record that could" – had received a Grammy nomination. [19] Fullbright performed "Gawd Above" at the Grammy Pre-Telecast show which was streamed live on the Grammy Awards website. [20]

Fullbright received the ASCAP Harold Adamson Lyric Award at the 17th Annual ASCAP Foundation Awards Ceremony held in New York City on December 12, 2012. [3] [21]

Career: 2013–2015

In early 2013, Fullbright toured the United Kingdom. His first performance in London was a sell-out show at The Slaughtered Lamb. [22] In September 2013, Fullbright performed at the 12th Annual Americana Music Association awards show in Nashville, where he was a nominee in the Emerging Artist of the Year category. [23] Also in 2013, "Gawd Above" was included on the soundtrack of the movie August: Osage County, the film based on Tracy Letts' play set in Oklahoma. The soundtrack also includes tracks from Eric Clapton, Bon Iver, Kings of Leon and Gustavo Santaolalla. [24]

Fullbright's sophomore release Songs was released in May 2014. Within a week of its release, several favorable reviews appeared. In his review for The Wall Street Journal, Jim Fusilli wrote, "Songs is a warm, winning and plainspoken Americana album that builds on the authority and charm of From the Ground Up not by musical-muscle flexing, but by its clarity and simmering intensity." [25] In her review for American Songwriter, Lynne Margolis wrote, "Neil Young was 24 when he released After the Gold Rush. Joni Mitchell recorded Blue at 27. Years from now, after it stands the test of time, John Fullbright's Songs could take its place in that same pantheon of hallowed musical masterpieces." [26] In his review for the Los Angeles Times, Randy Lewis wrote, "The simplicity of the album's title is a harbinger of what it contains – songs impressively and potently economical, mostly stripped to the emotional essence through poetically concise lyrics and heart-rending musical settings." [24] In her review for NPR's All Things Considered, Meredith Ochs wrote, "So what makes John Fulbright good enough to prompt comparisons to the likes of Townes Van Zandt. Maybe it's his voice, provocative and world weary beyond his years or his melodies that play gently and continuously in your head, long after his new album reaches the end. Or his spacious and sometimes unexpected arrangements that let the songs breathe on their own accord, like they do on this one." [27]

On June 27, 2014, the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame presented Fullbright with its Rising Star award at an awards ceremony in Muskogee, Oklahoma. [28]

Fullbright's first major exposure on American national television occurred when he performed on The Late Show with David Letterman on August 28, 2014. [29]

Career: 2016–present

At the 19th annual Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in July 2016, Fullbright was not only the Saturday night headliner at the Pastures of Plenty, but also joined several other artists on stage during the festival, accompanying David Amram, as well as performing during tribute sets to Bob Childers and Tom Skinner. [30]

During the 2017 Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, Fullbright was one of many performers along with Andy Adams, the Burns Sisters, Michael Fracasso, Jaimee Harris, Greg Jacobs, Levi Parham, Joel Rafael and the Red Dirt Rangers who performed at a tribute for Jimmy LaFave, festival-regular and board member, who had died two months earlier. [31]

In 2018 Fullbright shifted his focus to the production and recording spectrum while also intermittently touring. In particular, he produced the album Things Change for the Raleigh, North Carolina-based Americana group American Aquarium. [32]

Earlier in his career he commented on the pressure of recording new material while meeting the standard set by previous pieces of work. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't," Fullbright told the Tulsa World. "It's a little bit manic in the sense that when I'm under pressure, I'm under pressure. But if I sit and think about it long enough, I realize that the pressure doesn't really exist and then I'm not under pressure. It wanes and waxes back and forth between being terrified and being overconfident." [9]

Discography

YearTitlePeak chart positionsLabel
US
[33]
US
Folk

[34]
US
Heat

[35]
US
Indie

[36]
US
Rock

[37]
SCO
[38]
UK
[39]
UK
Indie

[40]
2022The LiarBlue Dirt Records
2014Songs94628127710115
2012From the Ground Up1020
2009Live at the Blue Door

Awards and nominations

YearAssociation/AwardCategoryResult
2014 Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame Rising Star AwardWon
2013 55th Grammy Awards Best Americana Album – From the Ground UpNominated
Americana Music Association Emerging Artist of the YearNominated
2012 ASCAP Harold Adamson Lyric AwardWon

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woody Guthrie</span> American singer-songwriter (1912–1967)

Woodrow Wilson Guthrie was an American singer-songwriter and composer who was one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He inspired several generations both politically and musically with songs such as "This Land Is Your Land".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Son Volt</span> American rock band formed in 1994

Son Volt is an American rock band formed in 1994 by Jay Farrar after the breakup of Uncle Tupelo. The band's current line-up consists of Farrar, Andrew DuPlantis, John Horton (guitar), Mark Patterson (drums), and Mark Spencer. In addition to playing alternative rock, the band is considered a staple of the alternative country rock movement of the 1990s. The band's sound also is rooted in folk rock and Americana. The band went on an indefinite hiatus in 2001, before reforming in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guy Clark</span> American folk and country singer-songwriter (1941–2016)

Guy Charles Clark was an American folk and country singer-songwriter and luthier. He released more than 20 albums, and his songs have been recorded by other artists, including Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy Buffett, Kathy Mattea, Lyle Lovett, Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Steve Earle, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Nanci Griffith and Chris Stapleton. He won the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Folk Album: My Favorite Picture of You.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Paxton</span> American folk singer and singer-songwriter

Thomas Richard Paxton is an American folk singer-songwriter who has had a music career spanning more than sixty years. In 2009, Paxton received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He is a music educator as well as an advocate for folk singers to combine traditional songs with new compositions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Crow Medicine Show</span> Americana string band based in Tennessee

Old Crow Medicine Show is an Americana string band based in Nashville, Tennessee, that has been recording since 1998. They were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on September 17, 2013. Their ninth album, Remedy, released in 2014, won the Grammy Award for Best Folk Album. The group's music has been called old-time, folk, and alternative country. Along with original songs, the band performs many pre-World War II blues and folk songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellis Paul</span> American singer-songwriter and musician

Ellis Paul is an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. Born in Presque Isle, Aroostook County, Maine, Paul is a key figure in what has become known as the Boston school of songwriting, a literate, provocative, and urbanely romantic folk-pop style that helped ignite the folk revival of the 1990s. His pop music songs have appeared in movies and on television, bridging the gap between the modern folk sound and the populist traditions of Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jody Miller</span> American singer (1941–2022)

Myrna Joy "Jody" Miller was an American singer, who had commercial success in the genres of country, folk and pop. She was the second female artist to win a country music accolade from the Grammy Awards, which came off the success of her 1965 song "Queen of the House". By blending multiple genres together, Miller's music was considered influential for other music artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woody Guthrie Folk Festival</span> Annual folk festival in Oklahoma, USA

The Woody Guthrie Folk Festival is held annually in mid-July to commemorate the life and music of Woody Guthrie. The festival is held on the weekend closest to July 14 - the date of Guthrie's birth - in Guthrie's hometown of Okemah, Oklahoma. Daytime main stage performances are held indoors at the Brick Street Cafe and the Crystal Theatre. Evening main stage performances are held outdoors at the Pastures of Plenty. The festival is planned and implemented annually by the Woody Guthrie Coalition, a non-profit corporation, whose goal is simply to ensure Guthrie's musical legacy. The event is made possible in part from a grant from the Oklahoma Arts Council. Mary Jo Guthrie Edgmon, Woody Guthrie's younger sister, is the festival's perennial guest of honor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy LaFave</span> American singer-songwriter

Jimmy LaFave was an American singer-songwriter and folk musician. After moving to Stillwater, Oklahoma, LaFave became a supporter of Woody Guthrie. He later became an Advisory Board member and regular performer at the annual Woody Guthrie Folk Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joel Rafael</span> American singer-songwriter

Joel Rafael is an American singer-songwriter and folk musician from San Diego County, California. Rafael's second volume to celebrate the songs of Woody Guthrie, was released on Appleseed in 2005. The first volume, Woodeye, was released on Inside Recordings in 2003. Joel and his acoustic band have been performing and touring nationally since 1993. In 2000, the Joel Rafael Band, comprising Joel Rafael,, his daughter Jamaica, Carl Johnson and Jeff Berkley (ethno-percussion), released their third album, Hopper on Inside Recordings, an independent label created by Jackson Browne and his management. The album was nominated in 2001 for an Association For Independent Music (AFIM) Best Contemporary Folk award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Burns Sisters</span> Musical artist

The Burns Sisters are an American folk music group from Ithaca, New York. The group has performed and recorded with various siblings, most recently consisting of sisters Marie and Annie. They have toured with Arlo Guthrie, providing backup vocals and occasionally performing as his opening act.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion</span> Musical duo

Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion were a musical duo. Guthrie and Irion were married on October 16, 1999, and began performing together as an acoustic duo in late 2000. Their music combined Irion's love of rock and blues with Guthrie's roots of folk and country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alastair Moock</span> American singer-songwriter

Alastair Moock is a GRAMMY-nominated American folk and family music performer from Boston, Massachusetts. He is known for his gruff voice, playful lyrics, and fingerpicking guitar style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Crouch</span> American singer-songwriter

Randy Crouch is an Oklahoma-based multi-instrumentalist. In eastern Oklahoma, Crouch is best known as a fiddle player. Although he has been referred to as "the world's best rock fiddler," Crouch also plays guitar and pedal steel guitar among other instruments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Childers</span> American singer-songwriter

Robert Wayne Childers was an American country-folk musician and singer-songwriter from the state of Oklahoma. Both before and after his death, he achieved widespread critical acclaim having been compared to songwriters such as Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie. Childers is often labeled the "father", "grandfather", or "godfather" of the regional Oklahoman music scene known as Red Dirt music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wes Sharon</span> American musician, record producer, and recording engineer

Wes Sharon is an American musician and an award-winning and Grammy nominated record producer and recording engineer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Conoscenti</span> American singer-songwriter

Don Conoscenti is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and multi-instrumentalist originally from Chicago, Illinois. He started his musical career in middle school playing drums, before receiving a guitar as a gift from a cousin for his 8th grade graduation. Conoscenti became known for his unique use of multiple and partial capos on the acoustic guitar, releasing an instructional video Capo Abuse and Guitar Techniques in 2001. He has played with many notable musicians, including Kristian Bush, David Wilcox, Ellis Paul, John Mayer, Nils Lofgren, Robert Mirabal, Bill Miller (musician), and The Indigo Girls, and he produced Dave Nachmanoff.

<i>New Multitudes</i> 2012 studio album by Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker, and Yim Yames

New Multitudes is a Woody Guthrie tribute album performed by Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker, and Jim James to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Guthrie's birth, released through Rounder Records on February 28, 2012. The project was initiated by Woody's daughter Nora Guthrie to have Farrar add music to her father's lyrics—specifically, his earliest songwriting years in Los Angeles. Over the course of several years, he invited the others to collaborate and recorded at a variety of locations across the United States. Each artist wrote music to lyrics that inspired him and presented it to the collaborators for recording. The result is an album with diverse musical genres that has garnered positive reviews from critics for its varied styles and instrumentation. The quartet promoted the album with a small promotional tour that took them to record stores, radio programs, theaters, and folk festivals. The group has plans for releasing a second volume.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radoslav Lorković</span> Croatian American musician

Radoslav Lorković is a Croatian-born and classically trained folk and blues musician, known in particular for his flair on the piano and accordion. He has six solo studio recordings, three live albums and has recorded and performed with numerous artists including Odetta, Asleep at the Wheel, Jimmy LaFave, Shawn Mullins, Greg Brown, Richard Shindell, Ellis Paul, Susan Werner, Ronny Cox, Dave Moore, Andy White, Bo Ramsey, and Ramsay Midwood. His 48 year career as a touring musician has taken him around the world, where he has performed from castles in Italy to Carnegie Hall.

Kevin Bowe is a songwriter, record producer and musician from Minneapolis. He is most well known for his work with prominent rock and blues artists including Paul Westerberg and the Replacements, writing songs for hit albums by Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, as well as Etta James' Grammy-winning Let's Roll. He has contributed to dozens of albums over his career, including several of his own as a bandleader, and has appeared on many film and television soundtracks including ESPN and The Sopranos. His songs have been covered by many prominent rock and blues artists, including Joe Cocker, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Robben Ford, and John Mayall.

References

  1. 1 2 NPR Staff. John Fullbright: The Man (And Album) Written In Oklahoma. NPR's Weekend Edition, May 6, 2012.
  2. Tucker, Ken. John Fullbright: How To Connect 'From The Ground Up'. Fresh Air from WHYY, May 21, 2012.
  3. 1 2 Philbrook, Erik. "Young Master of Unbridled Americana" John Fullbright Receives ASCAP Foundation Lyric Award. ASCAP website, June 26, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Lewis, Randy. John Fullbright: Folk-rock straight outta Okemah. Los Angeles Times, May 3, 2012.
  5. Dillon, John and Nesbitt, Vivian. John Fullbright radio interview. Art of the Song: Creativity Radio. Show #401, broadcast week of September 3, 2012.
  6. Beal Jr., Jim. Fullbright hones folk chops. San Antonio Express-News, May 30, 2012.
  7. 8th Annual Woody Guthrie Folk Festival. July 13–17, 2005. (Program booklet.)
  8. 1 2 3 Wood, Arthur. John Fullbright: All the Way From Okemah, Oklahoma. Maverick Magazine, September/October 2012, Issue # 116, p. 56-7.
  9. 1 2 Wofford, Jerry. John Fullbright talks Turnpike Troubadors, solo work ahead of Tulsa show. Tulsa World, March 7, 2014.
  10. Conner, Thomas. SXSW: John Fullbright comes of age. Archived April 17, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Chicago Sun-Times, March 14, 2012.
  11. Webb, Jela. Woody Guthrie Folk Festival (Okemah, Oklahoma July 11 –15, 2012). Archived September 28, 2012, at the Wayback Machine No Depression, July 20, 2012. Also published in Maverick Magazine, Nov.-Dec. 2012, Issue #117, p. 20.
  12. Reed, James. John Fullbright a young master of Americana. Boston Globe, June 10, 2012.
  13. Leahey, Andrew. Listening Station: John Fullbright. Washington Times, May 7, 2012.
  14. Folk Albums: Week of June 9, 2012. Billboard.com.
  15. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. American Music Masters Tribute Concert Honoring Chuck Berry. Archived October 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  16. Doyle, Patrick. Chuck Berry Rocks Cleveland Tribute Concert. Rolling Stone, October 29, 2012.
  17. Niesel, Jeff. Concert Review and Slideshow: American Music Masters Series Tribute to Chuck Berry. Cleveland Scene, October 28, 2012.
  18. Grammy.com. 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards Nominees. Archived May 3, 2012, at the Wayback Machine December 5, 2012.
  19. Parton, Chris. John Fullbright Takes the Little Record That Could to the Grammys. CMT Edge, February 5, 2013.
  20. McDonnell, Brandy. John Fullbright rocks the Grammys pre-telecast ceremony; Bonnie Raitt wins Best Americana Album. The Oklahoman, February 10, 2013.
  21. Chase Morrin.com. Invitation to ASCAP Foundation 17th Annual Awards Ceremony. [ permanent dead link ] December 12, 2012.
  22. Webb, Jela. John Fullbright, The Slaughtered Lamb, (London, UK. 2/4/13), No Depression, February 6, 2013.
  23. Americana Music Association website. Duos Own Americana's Biggest Night at 12th Annual Honors & Awards. Archived October 12, 2013, at the Wayback Machine September 20, 2013.
  24. 1 2 Lewis, Randy. John Fullbright aims to connect, uplift with 'Songs'. Los Angeles Times, May 28, 2014.
  25. Fusilli, Jim. John Fullbright Opens Up on 'Songs' Album. The Wall Street Journal, March 20, 2014.
  26. Margolis, Lynne. John Fullbright: Songs. American Songwriter, May 28, 2014.
  27. Ochs, Meredith. Fullbright's Sophomore Album Features Spacious, Confident Songs. All Things Considered, May 29, 2014.
  28. Mitchell, Murphy. John Fullbright receives Rising Star Award in Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. Tulsa World, June 28, 2014.
  29. McDonnell, Brandy. John Fullbright to perform TONIGHT on "The Late Show with David Letterman". The Oklahoman, August 28, 2014.
  30. Poppe, Nathan. WoodyFest 2016 endures weather, welcomes new stage and more. The Oklahoman , July 22, 2016.
  31. McDonnell, Brandy. Woody Guthrie Folk Festival reveals 2017 lineup, including Jimmy LaFave tribute, Arlo Guthrie, John Fullbright, Turnpike Troubadours and more. The Oklahoman, June 12, 2017.
  32. Gage, Jeff. American Aquarium Prep New Album 'Things Change'. RollingStone, March 7, 2018.
  33. "John Fullbright Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard . Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  34. "John Fullbright Chart History: Americana/Folk Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  35. "John Fullbright Chart History: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  36. "John Fullbright Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  37. "John Fullbright Chart History: Top Rock Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  38. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company . Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  39. "CHART: CLUK Update 2.08.2014 (wk30)". zobbel.de. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  40. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 12, 2018.