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John Hartford | |
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-fls.jpg) Hartford at MerleFest, 2000 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Cowan Harford |
| Born | December 30, 1937 New York City, New York |
| Origin | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Died | June 4, 2001 (aged 63) Nashville, Tennessee |
| Genres | |
| Occupations | |
| Instruments | |
| Years active | 1953–2001 |
| Labels |
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| Website | johnhartford |
John Cowan Hartford (December 30, 1937 – June 4, 2001) was an American folk, country, and bluegrass composer and musician known for his mastery of the fiddle and banjo, as well as for his witty lyrics, unique vocal style, and extensive knowledge of Mississippi River lore. His most successful song is "Gentle on My Mind", which won three Grammy Awards and was listed in "BMI's Top 100 Songs of the Century".[2][3] Hartford performed with a variety of ensembles throughout his career, and is perhaps best known for his solo performances where he would interchange the guitar, banjo, and fiddle from song to song.[4] He also invented his own shuffle tap dance move, and clogged on an amplified piece of plywood while he played and sang.
He was posthumously inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in 2010.
- ^ a b Manheim, Jamss. "John Hartford Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
Hartford was a multi-talented old-time musician, a riverboat captain, a satirical songwriter, a one-man showman of exceptional talents, and one of the founders of both progressive country music and old-time string music revivalism.
- ^ "BMI Announces Top 100 Songs of the Century". bmi.com. Broadcast Music. December 13, 1999. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
- ^ "'Gentle on My Mind' Writer John Hartford Dies". MTV. Archived from the original on August 27, 2014. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
- ^ Piazza, Tom (November 11, 2001). "Music; At the End, Fiddling His Way Back To His Beginnings". The New York Times. Retrieved April 21, 2019.