John McEuen’s New Spoken Word Album, The Newsman: A Man Of Record, Is Available Today!
Album tracks premiered by Bluegrass Today, Cowboys & Indians, M Music & Musicians Magazine, The Bluegrass Situation, The Hollywood Times, Americana Highways, Center Stage Magazine, The Music Universe, My Kind of Country, and Nashville.com
McEuen Adds Music To Stories With Each Composition On His New Album, Which Contains Poetry Spanning Over 200 Years
“John McEuen’s new spoken word album The Newsman: A Man of Record is a breath of fresh air. When you are listening to every track of the album, you become part of his storytelling. You can visualize yourself in the story or picture the story going through your mind. It makes me want to take a road trip, so John’s album can narrate my journeys in real time. It is a brilliant collection of stories, and it’s the best storytelling in the 21st century, and I want more!” – Ward W. Bond, PhD, host of The Dr. Ward Bond Show on CTN
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Country, bluegrass, and Americana legend John McEuen is excited to release his long-awaited album, The Newsman: A Man Of Record, today 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 talking about his wife, who passed away in a French cemetery. 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
Having the opportunity to premiere John’s “Old Rivers” single is a great honor. I really enjoyed this song, the way some songs are meant to be recorded, telling a story with words! This song will remind us that we all need to slow down and listen to songs that take us back to times of storytelling that includes music. It was like hearing Walter Brennan doing it himself. Thank you John for giving us “Old Rivers”. Judy Shields, The Hollywood Times
Enjoy “Old Rivers”:
“It was time to bring back the art form of spoken word, where there’s a story with music behind it,” shares McEuen. “The music does not have to reflect anything like a melody, so it’s supportive of the words. I chose some pieces that were not spoken words with music but made them so, and some pieces that were definite spoken words with music and tried to support them as well. These tracks span over 200 years to recent and have made an impact on me. In return, I hope they make an impact on you. I hope you enjoy it!.”
The Hollywood Times had the opportunity to speak with John McEuen about this new and exciting album The Newsman: A Man Of Record. Enjoy our conversation:
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 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
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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 200 years. For more information, visit www.johnmceuen.com.
