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John Hartford

American singer-songwriter and musician (1937–2001)

John Cowan Hartford 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".

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. He also invented his own shuffle tap dance move, and clogged on an amplified piece of plywood while he played and sang.

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Admit one

John Hartford

what: one person
from: New York
born: 1937
until: 2001
on the air here: 2 songs

File card: John Hartford

real name: John Cowan Harford

labels: Warner Bros. Records

genres: bluegrass music

awards: Americana Music Association President's Award

plays: banjo, mandolin, fiddle, guitar, voice

Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.

bluegrassfolkold-time

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Early life

Harford (he changed his name to Hartford later in life on the advice of Chet Atkins) was born on December 30, 1937, in New York City to parents Carl and Mary Harford. He spent his childhood in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was exposed to the influence that shaped much of his career and music: the Mississippi River. From the time he got his first job on the river, at age 16, Hartford was on, around, or singing about the river.

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Music career

In 1965, he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, the center of the country music industry. In 1966, he signed with RCA Victor and produced his first album, Looks at Life, in the same year.

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Final years and legacy

Between 1995 and 2001, Brandon Ray Kirk and he co-authored a biography of blind fiddler Ed Haley. Hartford's album The Speed of the Old Longbow is a collection of Haley's tunes. Writer and arts administrator Art Menius profiled Hartford in the Academia journal article, "John Hartford as I Knew Him", saying "John connected not just words to music, but the old days of Nashville to its present, tradition to

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(December 30, 1937–June 4, 2001) John Hartford was born in New York City to parents Dr. Carl and Mary Harford. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri where he was exposed to the influence that would shape much of his career and music, the Mississippi River. From the time he got his first job on the river, at age 16, Hartford was on, around, or singing about the river. John changed his last name to 'Hartford' later in life at the behest of Chet Atkins. He is the father of and was married to . From the 1980s onwards, Hartford had Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. On June 4, 2001, at Centennial Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, at age 63, he died of the disease. John is largely credited for inventing the musical style known as Newgrass. He played the banjo, fiddle, guitar and was a singer-songwriter. Also known as: Billy Mack, H. J. Harford, Hardford, Hardfort, Harford From Discogs (free to use). Their entry