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JOHN McCUTCHEON in concert

Unitarian Church - North
Mequon, WI

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In his twenties, John McCutcheon left his native Wisconsin on a musical journey of discovery that took him deep into Appalachia to learn from some of the legendary greats of traditional folk music. Having early on taught himself to play a mail-order guitar, he soon became adept at a multitude of instruments, including fiddle, banjo, autoharp, and jaw harp.
Today, he is considered one of the undisputed masters of the hammered dulcimer and adapts much of his music around the instrument. As a new father, McCutcheon found most children's music "unmusical and condescending" and sought to remedy the situation with an album he titled Howjadoo. Critical acclaim for the album led him to make more children's albums garnering Grammy nominations and to encourage other folk musicians to address children as an audience as well.
Much of his work continues to focus on writing politically and socially conscious songs for adults, and he often introduces his songs with a story. Since the 1990s, his music has increasingly evolved into heartland rock-influenced ballads, but he still performs purer folk music, particularly when playing the dulcimer.
In addition to his own writing, John has collaborated with some of the major songwriting talents in the folk music world including Tom Paxton, Si Kahn, Holly Near, Steve Seskin, and Tom Chapin. In 2006 he released an album of collaborations entitled Mightier than the Sword, in which he co-wrote songs with some of his favorite authors, including Barbara Kingsolver, Wendell Berry, Rita Dove, Lee Smith, and Carmen Agra Deedy. He has worked in the Woody Guthrie Archives completing some of Guthrie's unfinished songs and has composed musical settings of poetry by Pablo Neruda and Jose Martí.

With his deep roots in American traditional music, his approach to writing reflects both a simplicity and a layered complexity that creates songs that are always more than they seem. "He is a master at the difficult craft of the ballad," touted the Boston Globe. "Storytelling with the richness of fine literature," added the Washington Post. "One of our country's best songwriters," said Pete Seeger.