A singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who grew up surrounded by Appalachian musical traditions.
For a sense of his writing, 'You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive' is the obvious place. 'Looking Glass' is another good one.
His song 'You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive' became a well-known piece about Appalachian life, capturing something essential about that place and its people. He's written other quietly affecting songs like 'Looking Glass' and 'Tonight I'm Missing You' that work in that same plainspoken, lived-in vein. It's music that feels connected to a specific ground.
He grew up absorbing influences from bluegrass figures like Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs. In the 1990s, he began collaborating with artists including Tim O'Brien, Guy Clark, and Emmylou Harris, and released his debut album in 1995.
Keep it compact: a lyric you come back to, a live memory, or the part of the catalog you would point someone toward first.
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