Tom Paxton and The Don Juans (Featuring Don Henry & Jon
Vezner) - Tom Paxton has become a voice of his generation, addressing issues of
injustice and inhumanity, laying bare the absurdities of modern culture and
celebrating the tenderest bonds of family, friends, and community. In describing
Tom Paxton’s influence on his fellow musicians, Pete Seeger has said: “Tom’s
songs have a way of sneaking up on you. You find yourself humming them,
whistling them, and singing a verse to a friend. Like the songs of Woody
Guthrie, they’re becoming part of America.” Pete goes on: “In a small village
near Calcutta, in 1998, a villager who could not speak English sang me What Did
You Learn In School Today? in Bengali! Tom Paxton’s songs are reaching around
the world more than he is, or any of us could have realized. Keep on, Tom!” Guy
Clark adds: “Thirty years ago Tom Paxton taught a generation of traditional
folksingers that it was noble to write your own songs, and, like a good guitar,
he just gets better with age.” Paxton has been an integral part of the
songwriting and folk music community since the early 60’s Greenwich Village
scene, and continues to be a primary influence on today’s “New Folk”
performers. The Chicago native came to New York via Oklahoma, which he
considers to be his home state. His family moved there in 1948, when Tom was 10
years old, and he graduated from Bristow High School and The University of
Oklahoma, where he majored in drama while his interest in folk music grew and
eventually predominated. Brought to New York courtesy of the US Army, Tom
remained there following his discharge. His early success in Greenwich Village
coffeehouses, such as The Gaslight and The Bitter End, led to an
ever-increasing circle of work. Then in 1965 he made his first tour of the
United Kingdom — the beginning of a still-thriving professional relationship
that has included at least one tour in each of the succeeding years. He and his
late wife, Midge, have two daughters, Jennifer and Kate. All three women have
served as inspiration for many songs, and now three grandsons, Christopher,
Sean, and Peter are adding to the sources of inspiration. He has performed
thousands of concerts around the world in countries such as Australia, New
Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, Scandinavia, France, Italy, Belgium, Holland,
England, Scotland, Ireland and Canada. That these fans still enjoy his work is
a testament to the quality of his recent work, and to the enduring power of
modern standards like The Last Thing On My Mind, Ramblin’ Boy, Bottle Of Wine,
Whose Garden Was This?, Goin’ To The Zoo and The Marvelous Toy. Paxton’s
songbooks, critically acclaimed children’s books (available from HarperCollins
– see the page for children), award-winning children’s recordings, and a
catalog of hundreds of songs (recorded by artists running the gamut from Willie
Nelson to Placido Domingo), all serve to document Tom Paxton’s 40-year career. Tom
received a 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy during
the 51st Annual GRAMMY® Awards. He was nominated for a GRAMMY for Comedians and
Angels in 2007, and Live in the U.K. in 2006. He was also nominated for GRAMMYS
in 2003 for his Appleseed Records CD, Looking For The Moon, and in 2002 for his
children’s CD, Your Shoes, My Shoes. He has received the Lifetime Achievement
Award from ASCAP, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the BBC in London. Tom
Paxton’s place in folk music is secured not just by hit records and awards, but
by the admiration of three generations of fellow musicians. An internationally
recognized and loved cultural figure, he has always chosen goodwill over
commercial success. His generosity has taken the shape of a benefit concert
performance for a little girl fighting leukemia, or a personal note of
encouragement to an up-and-coming songwriter. This is the man who wrote and
lives the words, “Peace will come, and let it begin with me.” He is one of the
great songwriters of the last century and will be reckoned as one of the greats
in this new century, as well. He is a man we have come to regard as our friend.
Laurie Lewis & The
Right Hands - Grammy Award-winning musician Laurie Lewis is internationally
renowned as a singer, songwriter, fiddler, bandleader, producer and educator.
She was a founding member of the Good Ol’ Persons and the Grant Street String
Band and has performed and recorded since 1986 with her musical partner,
mandolinist Tom Rozum. Laurie has twice been voted “Female Vocalist of the
Year” by the International Bluegrass Music Association and has won the respect
and admiration of her peers. Linda Ronstadt speaks for many when she says of
Laurie: “Her voice is a rare combination of grit and grace, strength and
delicacy. Her stories are always true.” A pioneering woman in bluegrass, Laurie
has paved the way for many young women today, always guided by her own love of
traditional music and the styles of her heroes that came before. At the same
time, she has steadfastly followed her personal muse and remained open to new
influences.
Bill Kirchen - Grammy
nominated guitarist, singer and songwriter Bill Kirchen is one of the fortunate
few who can step on any stage, play those trademark licks which drove the
seminal Commander Cody classic Hot Rod Lincoln into the Top Ten nationwide, and
elicit instant recognition. Named a “Titan of the Telecaster” by Guitar Player
Magazine, he celebrates a musical tradition that embraces rock ‘n’ roll, blues
and bluegrass, Texas Western swing and California honkytonk. Nick Lowe
describes Bill as “... a devastating culmination of the elegant and funky… a
really sensational musician, with enormous depth.” Bill received his Grammy
nomination in 2001. A winner of multiple Wammies over the years, in 2002 he was
one of three artists inducted into the Washington D.C. Area Music Association
Hall of Fame along with Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) and John Philip
Sousa. Bill is an architect of what is now known as Roots Rock ‘n’ Roll and
Americana, and still continues to be one of its most active proponents,
playing, writing and performing throughout the world. In demand on the lecture
circuit, he has spoken at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC as part
of the “Electrified, Amplified and Deified - The Electric Guitar” exhibition
and at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. He was interviewed
on the national TV special “Yesterday and Today: Honky Tonk & Western
Swing” at the Broken Spoke in Austin, TX, where he performed along with Hank
Thompson, Doug Sahm, Don Walser and more. Bill was a keynote speaker at the
International Conference on Elvis Presley in Memphis and currently finds time
to lead workshops and instruct at Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch and the
Augusta Heritage Center. Justly famous for his indelible Telecaster sound, Bill
Kirchen has been everywhere over the span of a 40-plus-year career: he was a
founding member of the legendary Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen; he
released eight critically acclaimed solo albums; he toured internationally with
Nick Lowe and has performed with Doug Sahm, Gene Vincent, Elvis Costello, Dan
Hicks, Emmylou Harris, Bruce Hornsby and Link Wray.
Cathy Fink &
Marcy Marxer - TWO-TIME GRAMMY® Award Winners, Cathy Fink & Marcy
Marxer are master musicians with a career spanning over 35 years. Their superb
harmonies are backed by instrumental virtuosity on the guitar, five-string
banjo, ukulele, mandolin, cello-banjo, and many other instruments. An eclectic
folk festival on their own terms, their repertoire ranges from classic country
to western swing, gypsy jazz to bluegrass, and old-time string band to
contemporary folk including some original gems. Their versatility defies a
brief description, perhaps “well rounded Americana” does it best. In February 2017, the duo released their 45th recording,
“GET UP AND DO RIGHT” which features duets of some of their favorite songs by
songwriters such as Alice Gerrard, Tom Paxton, Ola Belle Reed and David
Francey, with an original tune and song for good measure. Midwest Record
reviewed the CD saying “with nothing more on board than the duo vocalizing with
their strings and things, they give a master class in organic, acoustic music
and show what a difference chops make…” Cathy & Marcy have performed at hundreds
of bluegrass and folk festivals and taught at close to 100 music camps. The
Washington Area Music Association has recognized the duo with over 60 WAMMIE
Awards for folk, bluegrass and children’s music. They have performed with Pete
Seeger, Theodore Bikel, Tom Paxton, Patsy Montana, Riders in the Sky and a wide
range of musical luminaries. They are happily known as “social music
conductors” ready to start a jam session, a community sing or to cre-
ate a
music camp helping others learn to play and sing. Past students include Kaki
King and Rhiannon Giddens. Through their long relationship with the Music
Center at Strathmore they collaborated with positive hip-hop artist Christylez
Bacon. They continue to mentor up-and-coming artists on navigating the professional
music world. They have entertained the Queen of Thailand, been keynote singers
for the AFL-CIO, performed at hundreds of folk festivals, appeared on the
“Today Show” and on National Public Radio. They have advocated in Washington
for unions, health care for children and the rights and livelihoods of artists.
As curators, performers and hosts, Cathy & Marcy produce two annual shows
at The Birchmere, in Alexandria, VA. The Mike Seeger Commemorative Old Time
Banjo Festival is in its eleventh year and their Tribute To Hank Williams in
its twenty- rst year. Their annual weeklong Ukulele & Guitar Summit at
Strathmore goes into year nine in 2017. Cathy & Marcy have earned two
GRAMMY® Awards for their recordings “cELLAbration: a Tribute to Ella Jenkins”
and for “Bon Appétit!”. Their CDs “Postcards” and “Banjo Talkin’” were both
GRAMMY® nominated in the Best Traditional Folk Album category. Cathy &
Marcy have toured worldwide from Japan to New Zealand, Vancouver to New York
and everywhere in between. Shows include The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and
Museum (OH), Smithsonian Institution and the John F. Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts. American Voices Abroad chose Cathy & Marcy with fiddler
Barbara Lamb to perform in China, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu for
the U.S. Department of State.
The Early Mays - The
Early Mays “bring traditional and original material to spectacular life” (Cindy
Howes, Folk Alley/WYEP) with Appalachian-inspired songs built on deep country
sensibilities, masterful singing and a sweet old-time sound. They burst on to
the scene with a #2 debut on the National Folk-DJ charts: an eponymous album
where fiddle, banjo and guitar are the backdrop to heart-melting three part
vocal harmonies. Most recently, they took home the blue ribbon in the
Neo-Traditional Band Competition at Clifftop 2016 (The Appalachian String Band
Music Festival). Emily Pinkerton, Ellen Gozion and Rachel Eddy share songs
based in a love of American tradition, while also exploring their own creative
voices. All three are celebrated solo artists who bring their rich and carefully
honed craft to The Early Mays. Emily weaves folk, classical and world music
traditions together in her songwriting. She recently won a 2015 New Music USA
grant to compose a song cycle for banjo and chamber ensemble. Ellen is an
accomplished ballad singer and visual artist who has taught at the Augusta
Heritage Center, and was an American Music Abroad finalist with the US State
Department. Born and raised in West
Virginia, Rachel is a prolific performer who has shared the stage with musical
legends including Tim O’Brien, Uncle Earl and Bruce Molsky. She moved back to the US last year after 6
years of living and touring in Europe. There is an unsurpassed magic that
springs from entwined and entrancing vocal harmonies. The Early Mays love the camaraderie of the
studio, the road, and rehearsals, and you can feel the gratitude radiate from
whatever stage they are on. You’ll never
leave a show without carrying a little bit of that warmth away with you.