Appalshop Anniversary Sets the Scene for John McCutcheon’s Homecoming

When six-time Grammy-nominated performer John McCutcheon will be headlining Seedtime on the Cumberland’s bill on Saturday, June 13, it will be a chance to share an evening with one of the many national performers who have been a part of the Appalshop family during its 40 years in Whitesburg. Seedtime on the Cumberland 2009 will take place June 11 through 13 on the Appalshop festival grounds in downtown Whitesburg.

Even before graduating summa cum laude from Minnesota’s St. John’s University, John McCutcheon “headed for the hills,” forgoing a college lecture hall for the classroom of the eastern Kentucky coal camps, union halls, country churches, and square dance halls. His apprenticeship to many of the legendary figures of Appalachian music embedded a love of not only home-made music, but a sense of community and rootedness. The result is music, whether traditional or from his huge catalog of original songs, with the profound mark of place, family, and strength. In the words of Johnny Cash, “The most impressive instrumentalist I’ve ever heard.” John’s first solo album, Wind That Shakes the Barley, appeared on June Appal, as did From Heaven to Earth by Wry Straw with bandmates Rich Kirby and Tommy Bledsoe. John also appears in the early Appalshop film, Sourwood Mountain Dulcimers, with one of his mentors, dulcimer maker and player I.D. Stamper.