Born in Chapel Hill, N.C. in 1946, Loudon Wainwright III came to fame when “Dead Skunk” became a Top 20 hit in 1972. He had studied acting at Carnegie-Mellon University, but dropped out to partake in the Summer of Love in San Francisco, and wrote his first song in 1968 (“Edgar,” about a lobsterman in Rhode Island). 

 

He was soon signed to Atlantic Records by Nesuhi Ertegun, and after that was lured by Clive Davis to Columbia Records, which released “Dead Skunk.” His songs have since been recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Cash, Earl Scruggs, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, his son Rufus Wainwright, and Mose Allison, among others. Wainwright has recorded 27 albums, including his 2009 Grammy Award-winning High Wide & Handsome.

 

Additionally, Wainwright has co-written with songwriter/producer Joe Henry on the music for Judd Apatow’s hit movie Knocked Up, written music for the British theatrical adaptation of the Carl Hiaasen novel Lucky You, and composed topical songs for NPR’s Morning Edition and All Things Considered and ABC’s Nightline. 

 

An accomplished actor, he has appeared in films directed by Martin Scorsese, Hal Ashby, Christopher Guest, Tim Burton, Cameron Crowe, and Judd Apatow. Wainwright has also starred on TV in M.A.S.H. and Undeclared, and on Broadway in Pump Boys and Dinettes. More recently, he appeared in the film Pleased to Meet You (with fellow music legends John Doe, Aimee Mann, and Joe Henry), and the television series, Mosaic, directed by Steven Soderbergh. 

 

Mr. Wainwright has proved to be far and away the most candid diarist among the singer-songwriters who...brought confessional poetry into popular song.... Mr. Wainwright wrings more human truth out of his contradiction than any other songwriter of his generation

New York Times - Stephen Holden

Bio: Chris Barron is best known as the lead singer of the Grammy nominated, Rolling Stone cover, hit band Spin Doctors. He wrote the Billboard top tens, “Two Princes” and “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong”. Spin Doctors just released a new record in summer of 2023. Chris is also working on a solo record.

Chris Barron plays nifty chords on a vintage Gibson, getting songs across with a mastery that comes from a lifetime starting on street corners and journeying through the alleyways of stardom to the largest stages is in the world. His solo acoustic interpretations of Spin Doctors hits combine with a diversity of songwriting, accomplished guitar playing, and quirky solo material to make a compelling show full of storytelling and raw musical power that is compelling, poignant, extremely amusing, and utterly satisfying.

“Chris Barron is the best songwriter of his generation. Think Robert Johnson meets Paul Simon with the epic lyric sensibility of Bob Dylan.”  -Charles Kirby

“Chris Barron is such a good guitar player it makes me angry.”  -Blake Morgan

J2B2 (John Jorgenson Bluegrass Band) features four legendary musicians: John Jorgenson on guitar, mandolin, and vocals; Herb Pedersen on banjo, guitar and vocals, Patrick Sauber on guitar and vocals; and Mark Fain on bass.  Impeccable musicianship, incomparable songwriting,  and seasoned showmanship.  

 

Part bluegrass and part 70's singer-songwriter vocal harmonies, the diverse material performed by these four legendary musicians is American Roots Music at it’s very finest.  Traditional bluegrass standards fit seamlessly next to contemporary songs like the Pedersen-penned classic "Wait a Minute" and CMA Song of the year, "Whiskey Lullaby.”  

 

With several appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, J2B2 continue to delight audiences across the country with performances at prestigious festivals such as the RockyGrass Festival in Lyons, CO Strawberry Music Festival in Tuloumne, CA to Americanafest in Nashville, TN.  

In a career that took flight in 1985 with commercial and critical acclaim, guitar virtuoso Stanley Jordan has consistently displayed a chameleonic musical persona of openness, imagination, versatility and maverick daring. Be it bold reinventions of classical masterpieces or soulful explorations through pop-rock hits, to blazing straight ahead jazz forays and ultramodern improvisational works-solo or with a group-Jordan can always be counted on to take listeners on breathless journeys into the unexpected.

Key to Jordan's fast-track acclaim was his mastery of a special technique on the guitar's fretboard. Instead of conventional strumming and picking, Jordan's innovative "touch technique" is an advanced form of two-handed tapping. While a handful of other players were using similar techniques, Stanley's fluid, multi-layered textures and sheer virtuosity raised the bar for excellence. But his technique, though impressive, is always a means to a musical end. His music is imbued with a warmth and sensitivity that has captured the imagination of listeners worldwide. A classically trained pianist before playing guitar, Jordan wanted greater freedom in voicing chords on his guitar, so he applied piano principles to do so. Jordan's touch technique allows the guitarist to play melody and chords simultaneously with an unprecedented level of independence. It also allows Jordan to play simultaneously on two different guitars, or even on guitar and piano. He says that "I think of it as a single instrument, but one with a wide range of tonal colors-that's why I do it."

To date Jordan has performed in over 60 countries on 6 continents. He has performed at many festivals, including the Kool Jazz Festival, the Concord Jazz Festival, and the Montreaux International Jazz Festival. During the 1980s he collaborated with a diverse array of artists, including performances with Art Blakey and Richie Cole and recordings with Stanley Clarke and Kenny Rogers. The track with Rogers, "Morning Desire", became America's #1 country song in 1986. Later Jordan became a frequent guest with Les Paul during Paul's legendary Monday nights at Iridium in New York. Today Jordan performs frequently as a soloist and with his band, as well as collaborating with other guitarists such as Kevin Eubanks, Sharon Isbin and Muriel Anderson. He's also a frequent guest with jam bands such as the Dave Matthews Band, the String Cheese Incident, Phil Lesh, Moe and Umphrey's McGee.

Jordan has received four Grammy nominations. His most recent album "Friends" was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Los Angeles Times jazz critic Leonard Feather wrote, "Genius is a word often tossed around in musical circles, but it has been rightfully applied to Stanley Jordan.

Opener- James “Biscuit” Rouse

Drummer, singer, songwriter, musical director, and producer James “Biscuit” Rouse recently released his first solo album  titled "Biscuit and Buddy" after working as a sought-after drummer and vocalist in many bands. Rouse a Philadelphia native decided to bring a twist to this debut release and largely dedicated it to interpreting the music of one of his heroes, drummer George “Buddy” Miles. Buddy Miles is best known for his work with Jimi Hendrix, Carlos Santana, The Electric Flag, Mike Bloomfield and Bootsy Collins, but he’s also known for interpreting tracks like “Down by the River,” written by Neil Young. 

 

After interpreting some of Miles’ music live with Vernon Reid, Rouse received encouragement to keep exploring Miles’ music, resulting in several years’ work leading up to the album. Rouse received the Buddy Miles award at the R & B Hall of Fame induction on October 6th in Cleveland. he will be sharing Buddy's music live at the Avenel Peerforming Arts Center on Friday May 02 opening for Stanley Jordan

Ari Hest is a Grammy nominated singer/songwriter who began his career as an independent artist in 2001. He built a loyal following touring the college circuit extensively between 2000 and 2003, after which he released two albums on Columbia Records, Someone To Tell (2004) and The Break-In (2007) all the while touring with artists such as Martin Sexton, Suzanne Vega, and Ani Difranco.

From 2010-2016, he continued to tour relentlessly and released four other LP's: Sunset Over Hope Street (2011), The Fire Plays (2012), Shouts And Whispers (2015), and the Grammy nominated Silver Skies Blue (2017), a duets album with Judy Collins. He released two albums of Patreon subscriber favorites in the spring of 2024 entitled The Treehouse Project - Year One and Year Two respectively.

Many of Ari's songs have appeared on TV and film - The Path, The Lincoln Lawyer, Private Practice, Army Wives, and One Tree Hill to name a few. 

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Jesse Terry's work is rooted in rhythmic rock & roll and sharp songwriting. His 2024 release Arcadia marks a turning point in his career. It's the seventh original album from an award-winning musician who's spent much of the past decade on the move, playing 150 shows annually, including bucket list events such as Bonnaroo, Philadelphia Folk Festival and AmericanaFest. 

 

Arcadia captures both sides of his musical personality, finding room for rock anthems one moment and intimate moments the next, showcasing just how wide Terry's reach can be.

 

 A grand-prize winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, Terry established himself as a top-shelf songwriter and storyteller even before he built his audience as a solo artist. 

 

Raves from the likes of No Depression ("instant accessibility…brilliance and clarity") and Pollstar ("it’s easy to imagine hearing his songs on the radio in between cuts by Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Jackson Browne and Joni Mitchell") are great, but his fan community is what's truly priceless.