John McCutcheon September 1, 2006

In the past twenty years, ask anyone in the music world who is the most influential hammer dulcimer player in America and one name comes up: John McCutcheon. Ask anyone who has written, produced, and released the most folk music albums during that span: same answer. Who has been in the forefront of redefining childrens music with five Grammy nominations, making it truly adult-friendly? Same guy.

John McCutcheon, who the Washington Post calls Virginias rustic renaissance man, will return to the Williamsburg Library Theatre for a concert on Friday, September 1 at 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets are $15 for adults, $10 with student ID and $8 for those under 16. The day of the show tickets will be $20 adults, $15 with student ID and $10 under 16. Tickets can be reserved with a credit card by calling (757) 259-4070. This performance opens this year's Williamsburg Regional Librarys Dewey Decibel Concert Series. A current listing of scheduled concerts can be found on the library's website at www.wrl.org. The Williamsburg Library Theatre is located at 515 Scotland Street, two blocks north of Merchants Square.

John McCutcheon wasnt supposed to become a folksinger. Raised in Wisconsin, he was headed for a lucrative career as a social worker in migrant labor camps. While in college he heard the songs of the Dust Bowl refugees and other tunes that crackled on the airwaves of early 1960s radio and knew something else was going on. He ended up roaming the Appalachians armed with a backpack, a banjo, and a healthy measure of youthful curiosity. Under the tutelage of some of the greats of traditional Southern music he quickly mastered seven different instruments, became an insightful and powerful singer of traditional songs and honed an ear for a good story. Songwriting, storytelling and social activism all met and finally made sense to him.

From this series of chance beginnings John McCutcheon has become what one Australian paper called the most overwhelming folk performer in the English language. His songwriting, rich in detail and broad in scope, have created a catalog of hundreds of songs covered by performers throughout the world. Critics reserve their most lavish praise for McCutcheons mastery of the hammer dulcimer, an instrument on which he is widely recognized as a world master. He has pushed the bounds of the instrument, exposing it to country, rock and jazz audiences. His recent successes showcasing the dulcimer in symphonic settings have brought this ancient instrument -- the inspiration for the invention of the piano -- full circle back to classical audiences.

Equally at home in the recording studio as the concert hall, John has recorded more than 30 albums in the past three decades. During that span the Charlottesville resident has received five Grammy nominations for his work. Throughout his career he has been presented every imaginable award in the independent record industry, produced documentary and educational recordings, written for numerous publications, authored childrens books and brought joy to listeners from Seattle to Sydney. This is his eighth appearance at the Williamsburg Library since 1987.

Event submitted by Eventful.com on behalf of programs.