Folk singer performed Friday

By Catherine Amos

Published: August 7, 2008

Culpeper has seen its share of musical acts this summer, and now residents can add an acclaimed folk musician to that list.

John McCutcheon peformed Friday on the courthouse lawn as a part of the Bluemont Summer Concert series. He has performed for the series almost since its inception 27 years ago, and Culpeper is his fifth stop on the tour this summer.

“He’s a pretty big name,” said Bluemont volunteer coordinator Jennifer Larkin. “People come from pretty far to see him. He’s kind of hard to describe; we’ve always put him as a one-man folk festival because he does his own show. It’s not just music.”

Larkin said in addition to playing the banjo, guitar and other instruments, McCutcheon reads his poetry and tells stories between songs.

“He’s built up a name in the community around us,” Larkin said. “He’s probably one of the biggest draws to the concerts. He definitely doesn’t have to do the Bluemont concerts because he’s big enough, but he really enjoys doing it. It’s really cool to have him.”

A singer and songwriter, McCutcheon also plays a dozen different instruments, including the hammer dulcimer, which has its strings stretched across a trapezoidal board. He is heavily involved in grassroots political organizations and is well known for his songs, “Christmas in the Trenches,” and “Hail to the Chief,” which is based completely on George W. Bush’s speech errors.

The Washington Post described McCutcheon as “Virginia’s rustic renaissance man,” and he has recorded more than 30 albums for both adults and children. He is also a writer, a poet and an avid reader, evident from the “library” portion of his Web site that details his reading list.

Catherine Amos can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 138 or .