Sellersville Theater presents John McCutcheon and Tom Paxton
originally published: 09/20/2023
photo by Michael G. Stewart
(SELLERSVILLE, PA) -- Sellersville Theater presents John McCutcheon and Tom Paxton on Thursday, October 26, 2023. The folk music legends and dear friends get Together for their first joint album due out on October 13th. Tickets range from $29.50 - $45. Showtime is 8:00pm.
John McCutcheon and Tom Paxton have been pals for decades, but it was COVID and Zoom that turned them into a songwriting team. Every Monday at 2PM they’d tell jokes, reminisce about old friends, and, of course, talk lots of sports. Eventually one would say, “Well, guess we better write a song, huh?” And off they’d go, two old warhorses pulling the plow. Now, a hundred songs later, they’ve gathered fourteen for their first joint recording, the aptly titled Together.
What happens when two of folk music’s most beloved and prolific songwriters join forces? Songs about history, the news, baseball, cowboys, America, love, the remembered, the forgotten. Gathering John’s familiar crew of supporting musicians (fiddle wizard Stuart Duncan, keyboardist Jon Carroll, bass player JT Brown, as well as special guest, Country Music Hall of Famer Charlie McCoy), the arrangements are compelling, the production pristine, and the performances stunning. From the stirring “Ukrainian Now” to the hilarious “Same Old Crap,” the immigrant story of “In America” to the heart stopping finale, “Together,” each song shines as would be expected of this partnership.
Grammy Lifetime Achievement honoree Tom Paxton has been a force in the folk music world since the 1960’s, penning songs made famous by Peter, Paul, & Mary, the Kingston Trio, John Denver, Johnny Cash, Pete Seeger, Judy Collins, and more. His song “Last Thing on My Mind,” is “one of the best damn songs ever written,” declares McCutcheon.
John McCutcheon is a part of the generation of folksingers that grew up singing Tom Paxton songs. His own impressive catalog of songs spans forty-four albums, six Grammy nominations, numerous awards and accolades and the citing of his song “Christmas in the Trenches” as “one of the 100 essential folk songs,” by Folk Alley.
Together, they have seeded the folk music landscape with hundreds of songs, sung by thousands for decades. With the album Together, they add another bunch of great new ones to the repertoire of our time. And, given the bounty of those Monday afternoons, this is only the beginning.
"It was such a cool concept that I jumped at the chance when our record label / manager said, "I'd like you to do a second "Friends & Family" and it was like, "Hey!" Because, to be able to pick from some of the top and best bands of the late '60s and '70s, pick a song and lovingly and respectfully recreate it whether it's exactly the same or we play around with it a little bit is just such a cool idea and so much fun and I loved making the second one."
Prolific Asbury Park singer and songwriter Alexander Simone (grandson of the legendary Nina), Atlantic City's R&B songstress Mary Cross, and the pioneering female rapper, Newark's MC Rah Digga, are just a few of the beloved local talents who will present events as part of this year's Prudential North to Shore Festival. Performances and programs will be held June 14-29, 2025 in Asbury Park and Newark, while performances in Atlantic City will extend throughout the coming year.
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