Marcus Hummon

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Marcus Hummon
Birth nameMarcus Spencer Hummon
Born (1960-12-28) December 28, 1960 (age 63) [1]
OriginWashington, DC, U.S. [1]
Genres Country
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, harmonica, mandolin, piano
Years active1994–present
Labels Columbia, Velvet Armadillo
Website www.marcushummon.net

Marcus Spencer Hummon (born December 28, 1960) [1] is an American country music singer-songwriter. Notable songs written or co-written by Hummon include "Ready to Run" and "Cowboy Take Me Away", recorded by The Chicks; "Born to Fly", recorded by Sara Evans; "Only Love", recorded by Wynonna Judd; "The Cheap Seats", recorded by Alabama; "Pilgrims on the Way", recorded by Michael Martin Murphey; "One of These Days", recorded by Tim McGraw; "Cornfields or Cadillacs", recorded by Farmer's Daughter; "Love Is the Right Place", recorded by Bryan White; and "Bless the Broken Road", recorded by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band as well as Rascal Flatts. Three of his songs reached number one on the country record charts: "Cowboy Take Me Away" by the Dixie Chicks, "Born to Fly" by Sara Evans, and the Rascal Flatts version of "Bless the Broken Road". Hummon has also scored films and written operas and musicals.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Hummon was born in Washington, D.C. [1] His father worked for the United States Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development and he spent much of his childhood in Africa, Italy, [1] Tanzania, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Saudi Arabia. [2] He sang in church as a child and his first performance as a musician was playing African drums on Nigerian TV. [2] He moved back to the Washington metropolitan area as a junior in high school, living in Potomac, Maryland and Bethesda, Maryland. [2] [3] His parents were musicians and theatre buffs and exposed him to the arts, regularly attending performances. [3] As a teen, he played in a group with his three sisters. [4] He attended Bullis School, where he played running back and graduated in 1980. [2] He graduated from Williams College in 1984. [5]

Career

Following college, in 1984, he moved to Los Angeles to seek a recording contract but was unsuccessful. [4] In 1986, Hummon moved to Nashville. [3] He played at the Bluebird Café and other clubs. [4] [6] He was eventually signed to a songwriting contract and then a recording contract with Columbia Records. Hummon met Joe Henry, who collaborated with John Denver, and offered to help him write songs. [7] The first notable song that he wrote was "Pilgrims on the Way", recorded by Michael Martin Murphey in 1988. [6]

His debut album All in Good Time (1995) included the song "God's Country", which reached number 73 on the Hot Country Songs record charts. [8] It also included "Bless the Broken Road", with backing vocals by co-writer Jeff Hanna and Matraca Berg and "One of These Days". The songs and title of the album reference his Christian faith. [9] From 1999 to 2001, Hummon was a member of the alternative country band The Raphaels along with former Big Country lyricist and guitarist Stuart Adamson. The Raphaels' only release was Supernatural in 1998 on Track Records. [10] In 1997, Hummon formed his own label, Velvet Armadillo, on which he released several studio albums. [11]

In 1998, "Bless the Broken Road" was recorded by Melodie Crittenden; this version charted on the Hot Country Songs record chart. In 2006, "Bless the Broken Road" was recorded by Rascal Flatts; this version won a Grammy Award for Best Country Song. Also in 2006, Selah recorded the song and it charted on the Hot Christian Songs chart.

In 2009, Hummon's first book, Anytime, Anywhere: A Little Boy’s Prayer, a children's book, was published by Simon & Schuster. [12] [11]

Hummon wrote Surrender Road, an opera staged by The Nashville Opera Company in 2005. Another opera, Favorite Son, produced with Nashville Opera in February 2022, was nominated for a Regional Emmy for musical composition. [13]

Hummon also wrote six musicals, three of which were featured as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2005, 2006 and 2011. [1] His musical American Prophet, about the life of Frederick Douglass, co-written with Charles Randolph-Wright, premiered at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. in August 2022 and won the Edgerton Award that year. [13] [14]

In 2012 and 2014, Hummon performed at the Greenbelt Festival. [12]

In August 2014, he signed a publishing deal with CTM Writers INK. [15]

Hummon has scored two films: Lost Boy Home and The Last Songwriter, a documentary that he co-produced featuring Garth Brooks and Jason Isbell, which won the Audience Award at the Nashville Film Festival in 2017. [1] [13]

In 2019, Hummon was inducted to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. [1]

In March 2020, he signed a publishing deal with LBK Entertainment. [16] [17]

Personal life

Hummon is married to Reverend Becca Stevens, an Episcopal priest and chaplain, speaker, and author of eight books. They have 3 children, including country singer Levi Hummon and live in Nashville. [18] [12]

List of singles composed by Marcus Hummon

Songs written by Hummon that were recorded by other notable artists include: [13]

Discography

Albums

TitleAlbum details
All in Good Time
The Sound of One Fan Clapping
  • Release date: 1997
  • Label: Velvet Armadillo Records
Looking for the Child
  • Release date: 1999
  • Label: Velvet Armadillo Records
Francis of Guernica
  • Release date: 2001
  • Label: Velvet Armadillo Records
Warrior
  • Release date: September 25, 2001
  • Label: Velvet Armadillo Records
American Duet
  • Release date: 2003
  • Label: Velvet Armadillo Records
Revolution EP
  • Release date: 2003
  • Label: Velvet Armadillo Records
Atlanta
  • Release date: March 1, 2005
  • Label: Velvet Armadillo Records
Nowhere to Go but Up
  • Release date: April 27, 2005
  • Label: Velvet Armadillo Records
Surrender Road
  • Release date: December 21, 2005
  • Label: Velvet Armadllo Records
Rosanna
  • Release date: May 1, 2010
  • Label: self-released

Singles

YearSinglePeak positionsAlbum
US Country
1996"God's Country"73All in Good Time
"Honky Tonk Mona Lisa"—
2005"Revolution"—single only
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Music videos

YearVideoDirector
1996"Honky Tonk Mona Lisa"R. Brad Murano

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Marcus Hummon". Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
  2. 1 2 3 4 WICKOUSKI, SHEILA (August 2022). "Grammy Winner Pens Original Songs for Arena Production" (PDF). The Southwester.
  3. 1 2 3 Green, Micha (May 22, 2023). "Marcus Hummon Talks Frederick Douglass, Evolution of American Prophet". The Washington Informer .
  4. 1 2 3 "Marcus Hummon". Apple Music.
  5. ↑ "A NASHVILLE CAT". Williams College .
  6. 1 2 "Marcus Hummon's Pilgrimage—Part 1". MusicRow . August 7, 2012.
  7. ↑ BENITEZ-EVES, TINA (June 23, 2021). "Marcus Hummon: Poetic License". American Songwriter .
  8. ↑ "Marcus Hummon". Billboard.
  9. ↑ "'All In Good Time'" . Chicago Tribune . December 17, 1995.
  10. ↑ EDWARDS, CLAYTON (January 4, 2024). "Trending: Watch Grammy-Winning Country Music Songwriter Go Incognito at Nashville Airport". American Songwriter .
  11. 1 2 "Bluebird on the Mountain series launches sixth season May 22". Vanderbilt University . May 18, 2010.
  12. 1 2 3 "MARCUS HUMMON". Greenbelt Festival .
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Marcus Hummon". Perelman Performing Arts Center.
  14. ↑ Fraley, Jason (August 17, 2022). "Bless the Broken Road that led Marcus Hummon to American Prophet at Arena Stage". WTOP-FM .
  15. ↑ Nicholson, Jessica (August 7, 2014). "CTM Writers INK Signs Marcus Hummon". MusicRow .
  16. ↑ REUTER, ANNIE (March 26, 2020). "Marcus Hummon Signs Publishing Deal With LBK Entertainment: Exclusive" . Billboard .
  17. ↑ Hollabaugh, Lorie (March 26, 2020). "Marcus Hummon Signs With LBK Entertainment". MusicRow .
  18. ↑ "Becca Stevens". The White House.
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