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From WWR

John McCutcheon

No one remembers when the neighbors started calling the McCutcheons to complain about the loud singing from young John’s bedroom. It didn’t seem to do much good, though. For, after a shaky, lopsided battle between piano lessons and baseball (he was a mediocre pianist and an all-star catcher), he had “found his voice” thanks to a cheap mail-order guitar and a used book of chords.

From such inauspicious beginnings, John McCutcheon 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 rare and beautiful hammer dulcimer. His songwriting has been hailed by critics and singers around the globe. His thirty recordings have garnered every imaginable honor including seven Grammy nominations. He has produced over twenty albums of 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 of the issues important to communities and workers.

Even before graduating summa cum laude from Minnesota’s 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 John McCutcheon 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 described John as “Virginia’s Rustic Renaissance Man,” a moniker flawed only by its understatement. “Calling John McCutcheon a ‘folksinger’ is like saying Deion Sanders is just a football player...” (Dallas Morning News). Besides his usual circuit of major concert halls and theaters, John is equally at home in an elementary school auditorium, a festival stage or at a farm rally. He is a whirlwindJohn McCutcheon Picture of energy packing five lifetimes into one. In the past few years alone he has headlined over a dozen different festivals in North America (including repeated performances at the National Storytelling Festival), recorded an original composition for Virginia Public Television involving over 500 musicians, toured Australia for the sixth time, toured Chile in support of a women's health initiative, appeared in a Woody Guthrie tribute concert in New York City, gave a featured concert at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, taught performance art skills at a North Carolina college, given symphony pops concerts across America, served as President of the fastest-growing Local in the Musicians Union and performed a special concert at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. This is all in his “spare time.” His “real job,” he's quick to point out, is father to two grown sons.

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 “little feats of magic,” “breathtaking in their ease and grace...,” and “like a conversation with an illuminating old friend.”

Whether in print, on record, or on stage, few people communicate with the versatility, charm, wit or pure talent of John McCutcheon.

John’s hammer dulcimer was built by Sam Rizzetta, Inwood, WV..

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This artist lives in Virginia.

The gender of this artist/group is male.

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Listener Tags & Comments

John McCutcheon has probably performed at the Winfield festival more than any other artist there. I have memories of him of as a very young man with a head full of curls wowing us all with his rich voice and his talents on the hammered dulcimer! During any performance, he will often put down his guitar and accompany himself on a fiddle, a banjo, hammered dulcimer, or piano. I have even seen him bring a didgereedoo to the stage.

John is also a wonderful storyteller... often telling the history behind a song. As do most good songwriters , John has an amazing way with words. I highly recommend that you take a minute to read the commencement address that he gave to graduating class at Warren Wilon College in 1997.

While you are there, look around his website. Grab some of his free downloads. Then catch him in concert when you can! LuAnna 07:26, June 7, 2007 (AKDT)

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Albums on WWR

• One Land, One Heart

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Artist name is|John McCutcheon
Last played|   more than 1 month ago
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Show name|    Songs by John McCutcheon
Length|       15 minutes
Order by|     random
Limit|        3 songs
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Stats

• Spotlighted: Never
• Songs on WWR: 1
• Total plays: 18
• Total requests: 10
• Total listens: 468
• CDBaby referrals: 0
• CDBaby sales:

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