JOHN FULLBRIGHT

John Fullbright was born in April, 1988, in Bearden, Oklahoma, near Woody Guthrie's hometown of Okemah (where Fullbright made waves performing at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival). He grew up on an 80-acre farm, in the house where his father also grew up, continuing a long line of Oklahomans which plugged him deeply, richly, into the cultural and historical heritage of the state. He went to school in Okemah and started studying music quite early on in life - first on piano when he was just nine years old. Guitar came later, but not too much later. Before he was through with high school, Fullbright was performing locally as a singer-songwriter, borrowing amplifiers from the high school band, and setting up shop in cafes and restaurants around Okemah. After high school, he enrolled at the Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, but dropped out not too long after, when he was invited to play music with Mike McClure. He leant his guitar and backing vocals to McClure's 2008 release, then promptly struck out on a solo career. The following year, he played a show at the Blue Door in Oklahoma City - a famous venue in the area - which was recorded and pressed as a demo of sorts. He used the recording to get more gigs at venues in the region, including the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, where he earned considerable praise and attention for his remarkable talent. He followed the Blue Door performance with an appearance at the Folk Alliance in Memphis, Tenn., which introduced him to a new, much larger audience. From there, he hooked up with a handful of folk and Americana giants - Joe Ely, Jimmy Webb, Kevin Welch, and others - with whom he performed as an opening act, earning even more cred throughout the folk and Americana club circuit. In 2012, three years after making his Folk Alliance debut and starting his career off the strength of a somewhat bootlegged live recording, Fullbright dropped his full-length debut album, From the Ground Up. The aptly named disc earned him considerable praise and attention, not only from folk and Americana critics and bloggers, but also from the mainstream. There was something about the music which seemed to defy traditional boundaries and drag the spirit of Oklahoma's rich musical background into contemporary, worldwide relevance. His themes of disillusionment and faith, hope and disappointment, love and loss struck a chord in 2012 which helped establish him as one of the strongest forces in a new surge of roots-influenced music. In fact, it earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Americana Album. Learn more about John Fullbright's remarkable story, check out his always full touring calendar, and learn more about his music at JohnFullbrightMusic.com.