John McEuen – The Newsman Is Back & Better Than Ever With New Tour, Album, Children’s Book & More After Double Heart Attack!
New Children’s Book The Mountain Whippoorwill: (Or, How Hill-Billy Jim Won the Great Fiddlers’ Prize) OUT NOW
Now Featured by People.com and Cowboys & Indians
John McEuen and The Newsman: A Man of Record Album Featured by Forbes, RFD-TV, Bluegrass Today, Voice of America, M Music & Musicians Magazine, The Bluegrass Situation, The Hollywood Times, Americana Highways, Center Stage Magazine, The Music Universe, My Kind of Country, The Dr. Ward Bond Show, Folkscene, and Nashville.comJohn McEuen and The Newsman: A Man of Record Album Featured by Forbes, RFD-TV, Bluegrass Today, Voice of America, M Music & Musicians Magazine, The Bluegrass Situation, The Hollywood Times, Americana Highways, Center Stage Magazine, The Music Universe, My Kind of Country, The Dr. Ward Bond Show, Folkscene, and Nashville.com
“Three months ago, right before the release of ‘The Newsman,’ something important happened to me. I had two heart attacks and found myself in the ICU for 18 days. With a new diet, medications, new habits, and rehab, I am now able to perform again. I look forward to it more than words can express, but it will be apparent when you see me on stage. Grateful to continue living the dream, I also urge you to get yourself checked, as things like this are neither planned nor predictable. I now must get out there and start “spreading the news.” Looking forward to it all more than ever.” – John McEuen
Country, bluegrass, and Americana legend John McEuen is thrilled to be back and better than ever after a close call with a double heart attack that led to triple bypass surgery on April 5, just as his new album, The Newsman: A Man of Record, was about to release. Following over two weeks in the Intensive Care Unit and three months of physical therapy, McEuen is happy to announce a clean bill of health from his doctors. He’s also released a new children’s book, The Mountain Whippoorwill: (Or, How Hill-Billy Jim Won the Great Fiddlers’ Prize), and is embarking on a new tour starting August 3 in Stony Plain, Canada, at the 2024 Blueberry Music Festival, continuing throughout next year. He will also be receiving the Musicians Lifetime Achievement Award on October 27 at The Josie Awards in Nashville, Tennessee at the Grand Ole Opry House. McEuen’s captivating story is now featured on PEOPLE and can be viewed HERE.
To read McEuen’s feature in Cowboys & Indians, visit HERE.
“After performing “Whippoorwill” for 30 years with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, I was finally able to turn it into a children’s book,” shares McEuen. “The hope is that some of the fans who loved it in the ’70s and ’80s will want a copy to read to their grandchildren, or maybe just to themselves. My friend Steve Martin and I performed this together a few times in the early days (I played the banjo, and he recited the poem) as we both learned it in high school! With the help of artists Buddy Finehy and Jas Ingram, we turned the idea into a reality. Steve wrote the foreword, which I was very excited about. It is now available autographed on my website at JohnMcEuen.com.”
McEuen’s long-awaited album, The Newsman: A Man Of Record, is available now on Compass Records. In this project for McEuen, the album has ten spoken word tracks and one instrumental piece. Each one tells a special story in a way that’s like a play, with John’s own style of music in the background. The album starts with a story about a newspaper seller who had a big impact on John when he was getting started in Los Angeles and ends with “Jules’ Theme,” a song inspired by Jules Verne in a French cemetery talking about his young wife, who had recently passed away (piano, bass, guitar by John McEuen). Every part of the album is carefully put together to make it unforgettable. Outlets including The Bluegrass Situation, Cowboys & Indians, M Music & Musicians Magazine, Nashville.com, Center Stage Magazine, Bluegrass Today, My Kind of Country, Americana Highways, The Hollywood Times, and The Music Universe premiered each song.
To listen/download The Newsman: A Man Of Record, visit found.ee/newsman
“It was time to revive the art of spoken word, where storytelling is accompanied by music,” shares McEuen. “The music doesn’t need to follow a melody but rather support the words. I selected some pieces that weren’t originally spoken word with music and adapted them, and others that were already spoken word and enhanced them. These tracks span over 150 years, including some recent ones that have impacted me. I hope they resonate with you as well. Enjoy!”
The album features a mix of tracks from different eras and genres. The collection spans various literary themes from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Civil War-era poem “Killed at the Ford” to Robert Service’s “The Cremation of Sam McGee” about a Yukon prospector. Other tracks include Stephen Vincent Benét’s “The Mountain Whippoorwill,” Hank Williams Sr.’s “Fly Trouble,” and Walter Brennan’s “Old Rivers.” Thomas Monroe’s Vietnam War reflection “Nui Ba Den” contrasts with more recent compositions like John Carter Cash’s “The Guitar Of Pineapple John,” Hans Olson’s “I’ll Be Glad (When They Run Out Of Gas),” and Thaddeus Bryant’s “Red Clay.”
John McEuen was recently featured in Forbes, where he rode with journalist Jim Clash in a Nascar at The Daytona Speedway at over 170MPH for six laps. This was a highlight of McEuen’s life, getting to be inside the car and this speed. To read the full article, visit HERE.
The Newsman: A Man of Record Album Track Listing:
“The Newsman” Premiered by My Kind Of Country
“Fly Trouble” Premiered By Bluegrass Today
“The Cremation of Sam McGee” Premiered by The Bluegrass Situation
“Old Rivers” Premiered by The Hollywood Times
“The Guitar of Pineapple John” Premiered by Americana Highways
“Killed at the Ford” Premiered by The Music Universe
“Nui Ba Den” Premiered by Center Stage Magazine
“Red Clay” Premiered by My Kind Of Country
“I’ll Be Glad (When They Run Out Of Gas)” Premiered by M Music & Musicians Magazine
“The Mountain Whippoorwill” Premiered by Nashville.com
“Jules’ Theme” Premiered by Center Stage Magazine
John McEuen On Tour:
AUG 03 – 2024 Blueberry Music Festival / Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada
AUG 04 – 2024 Blueberry Music Festival / Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada
AUG 09 – Caffe Lena / Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
AUG 10 – Podunk Bluegrass Festival / Goshen, Conn.
AUG 15 – Blue Note Grill / Durham, N.C.
AUG 16 – White Horse Black Mountain / Black Mountain, N.C.
AUG 17 – Big Mouth Bluegrass Festival / Pelham, Tenn.
AUG 25 – Newell Farm Concert / Berthoud, Colo.
SEP 06 – 20th Annual Watermelon Pickers Festival / Berryville, Pa.
SEP 11 – Ponce De Leon Center / Hot Springs Village, Ark.
SEP 20 – Red Clay Music Foundry / Duluth, Ga.
OCT 27 – The Josie Awards / Nashville, Tenn.
OCT 29 – State Theatre / Zumbrota, Minn.
OCT 30 – The West Theatre / Duluth, Minn.
NOV 01 – The Cedar Cultural Center / Minneapolis, Minn.
NOV 02 – Thrasher Opera House / Green Lake, Wis.
NOV 09 – Foxview / Nashville, Mich.
NOV 16 – Bartlett Performing Arts & Conference Center / Bartlett, Tenn.
NOV 17 – The Franklin Theatre / Franklin, Tenn.
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More About John McEuen:
Born in Oakland, California, in 1945, John McEuen relocated to Orange County for high school, where he began his musical journey at sixteen while working in a magic shop alongside Steve Martin. Co-founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, McEuen’s departure after fifty years marked a shift towards solo endeavors and new creative paths. Notably, he orchestrated the groundbreaking Will The Circle Be Unbroken album, boasting collaborations with bluegrass legends and earning multiple accolades. With over forty albums (six solo) that have earned four platinum and five gold recognition awards, multiple Grammy, CMA, and ACM awards, IBMA Record of the Year, and performed on another twenty-five albums as a guest artist and a prolific career spanning nearly six decades in live entertainment including concerts, television, and production, John shows no signs of slowing down.
John’s Steve Martin – The Crow production won the 2010 Best Bluegrass Album Grammy. The Music of the Wild West CD — produced by McEuen, was honored with the Western Heritage Award. A Grammy nomination for String Wizards II preceded the 1994 Uncle Dave Macon Award – for excellence in the preservation and performance of historic music. John’s popular Acoustic Traveller show is now in its 16th year on Sirius/XM’s The Bridge. McEuen produced and directed the 1990s documentary film The Dillards – A Night In the Ozarks, which captures his early mentors at their best. His recent ventures include producing albums, writing books, and exploring spoken-word projects, epitomizing his enduring passion for storytelling and music exploration. McEuen has a new album, a brilliant spoken word project he has been working on for years, The Newsman: A Man of Record, which is available now. It’s a brilliant spoken-word project with music underlying fascinating stories and poems spanning over 150 years. For more information, visit johnmceuen.com.