Grammy Nominated Musician John McCutcheon New Track Premieres at The Bluegrass Situation
By: Caryn Robbins Jan. 11, 2018
Wisconsin-bred, Georgia-based musician John McCutcheon is folk music's Renaissance man - master multi-instrumentalist, powerful singer-songwriter, storyteller, activist, and author. His recordings have garnered every imaginable honor including six Grammy nominations. He has produced over twenty albums of other artists, from traditional fiddlers to contemporary singer-songwriters to educational and documentary works. McCutcheon's commitment to grassroots political organizations has put him on the front lines of many issues with relevance to communities and workers.
McCutcheon's 39th album Ghost Light will be released February 9 on his label Appalsongs and The Bluegrass Situation is premiering the track "When My Fight For Life Is Over" here. The track closes the 13 song collection and is inspired from unfinished lyrics from one of his heroes Woody Guthrie. The lyric and melody are upbeat despite the song's title. Featured on the tune are good friends Kathy Mattea and Stuart Duncan.
John McCutcheon didn't mean to record Ghost Light. "It was a complete accident. I sat down over Memorial Day weekend and suddenly a line pestered me, 'Billy didn't come home last night.' I thought, 'Okay, so who's Billy? Where's home? What happened to him?' And it was off to the races. 25 days and 30 new songs later, what was I supposed to do?" And as has happened so often in his forty-five year career, those races brought McCutcheon a collection of stories that are real, seductive and unexpected.
The Washington Post has proclaimed, "He has an uncanny ability to breathe new life into the familiar. His storytelling has the richness of fine literature" and the late Johnny Cash referred to him as "The most impressive instrumentalist I've ever heard."
McCutcheon helped found the first traveling musician's union, the Local 1000 and last year he found time to pen a critically acclaimed children's book Flowers for Sarajevo. He tours annually and extensively and hosts songwriting camps for aspiring musicians. McCutcheon exemplifies a generosity of spirit and talent and his music brings joy to all who experience it.
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