John McCutcheon

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John McCutcheon
John McCutcheon.jpg
McCutcheon performs at Blue Mountains Music Festival in Australia, March 2010.
Background information
Born (1952-08-14) August 14, 1952 (age 70)
Wausau, Wisconsin, United States
Genres Folk
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist

John McCutcheon (born August 14, 1952) is an American folk music singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has produced 41 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 jaw harp. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] He has received six Grammy Award nominations. [10]

Contents

Career

McCutcheon was born to Roman Catholic parents in Wausau, Wisconsin. He attended Saint James Grade School, Newman Catholic High School, Saint John's University.[ citation needed ]

While in his 20s, he travelled to Appalachia and learned from some of the legendary greats of traditional folk music, including Roscoe Holcomb and Tommy Hunter. His repertoire 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.[ citation needed ]

When McCutcheon became a father in the early 1980s he found most children's music "unmusical and condescending", [11] 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 seven additional children's albums. [12] He has written three children's books. 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.[ citation needed ]

In his performances, McCutcheon often introduces his music with a story. He has become known as a storyteller, and has made multiple appearances at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee. He is married to children's author and storyteller, Carmen Agra Deedy. [13]

McCutcheon's music has, since the 1990s, increasingly evolved into heartland rock-influenced ballads, while he still occasionally performs purer folk music. In 2011, he 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.[ citation needed ]

John McCutcheon performs in Richmond, Virginia on April 21, 2017. 2017-04-21 John McCutcheon performs in Richmond VA..jpg
John McCutcheon performs in Richmond, Virginia on April 21, 2017.

Discography

Books

Grammy Award Nominations

John McCutcheon has received six Grammy nominations. The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

YearNominee / workAwardResult
1995 "John McCutcheon's Four Seasons: Summersongs" Best Musical Album for Children Nominated
1996 "John McCutcheon's Four Seasons: Wintersongs" Best Musical Album for Children Nominated
1997 "Bigger Than Yourself" Best Musical Album for Children Nominated
1998 "John McCutcheon's Four Seasons: Autumnsongs" Best Musical Album for Children Nominated
1999 "John McCutcheon's Four Seasons: Springsongs" Best Musical Album for Children Nominated
2006 "Christmas in the Trenches" Best Spoken Word Album for Children Nominated

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References

  1. ↑ Ledgin, Stephanie P. (2010). Discovering Folk Music. ISBN   978-0-275-99387-0.
  2. ↑ Palca, Joe (September 28, 1997). "John McCutcheon". NPR . Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014– via HighBeam Research.
  3. ↑ Gartner, Paul (April 11, 2002). "ALL IN THE FAMILY: John McCutcheon's labor of musical love comes to town". The Charleston Gazette . Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014– via HighBeam Research.
  4. ↑ Wertheimer, Linda (June 21, 1993). "Folk Singer John McCutcheon Shares Music With Children". NPR . Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014– via HighBeam Research.
  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 . Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014– via HighBeam Research.
  6. ↑ Reed, Bill (February 6, 2004). "OLD SCHOOL FOLK McCutcheon gets his inspiration from what's going on around him". The Gazette . Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014– via HighBeam Research.
  7. ↑ Holahan, Jane (March 2, 2006). "John McCutcheon: Song sung purple". Intelligencer Journal . Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014– via HighBeam Research.
  8. ↑ Roque-lutz, Marichelle (May 4, 2007). "McCutcheon plays in concert with crowd". Intelligencer Journal . Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014– via HighBeam Research.
  9. ↑ Zaretsky, Mark (April 13, 2012). "Folkie John McCutcheon Spins Both Good Songs and Stories". New Haven Register .[ dead link ]
  10. ↑ "ARTIST JOHN MCCUTCHEON". Recording Academy Grammy Awards. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  11. ↑ Sift, P.J. "John McCutcheon: Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved January 21, 2018.
  12. ↑ Holtzclaw, Mike. "Songwriter John McCutcheon covers a lot ground in his career, and in his concerts". Daily Press. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  13. ↑ Lodge, Sally (September 22, 2011). "Q & A with Carmen Agra Deedy and Randall Wright". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  14. ↑ Joyce, Mike (December 9, 1988). "McCutcheon's Art as Craft: 'Gonna Rise'". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014– via HighBeam Research.
  15. ↑ Joyce, Mike (December 11, 1987). "McCutcheon & Co.: Young Folkies' Songs". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014– via HighBeam Research.
  16. ↑ Taubeneck, Anne (November 13, 1992). "McCutcheon's Music Transcends Age". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014– via HighBeam Research.
  17. ↑ Bird, Rick (January 18, 1996). "VERSATILE MCCUTCHEON IN TOWN.(TIMEOUT)". The Cincinnati Post . Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014– via HighBeam Research.
  18. 1 2 Himes, Geoffrey (October 17, 1997). "JOHN McCUTCHEON; TOM CHAPIN". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014– via HighBeam Research.
  19. 1 2 Himes, Geoffrey (November 1, 2002). "JOHN MCCUTCHEON "The Greatest ..." The Washington Post . Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014– via HighBeam Research.
  20. ↑ Bream, Jon (November 6, 1998). "Music: John McCutcheon.(VARIETY)". Star Tribune . Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014– via HighBeam Research.
  21. ↑ "SPOTLIGHT: JOHN MCCUTCHEON.(Rhythm)". The Wisconsin State Journal . October 14, 1999. Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014– via HighBeam Research.
  22. ↑ Lewis, Catherine P. (April 14, 2006). "JOHN MCCUTCHEON "Mightier ..." The Washington Post . Archived from the original on September 21, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014– via HighBeam Research.
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