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John Fullbright (born April 23, 1988) is an American singer-songwriter from Okemah, Oklahoma. While still in high school, Fullbright performed at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah. In 2009 he released the album Live at the Blue Door and three years later released his first studio album, From the Ground Up, which received a Grammy nomination in the category Best Americana Album. He has been the subject of two segments on NPRNPR Staff. John Fullbright: The Man (And Album) Written In Oklahoma. NPR's Weekend Edition, May 6, 2012.Tucker, Ken. John Fullbright: How To Connect 'From The Ground Up'. Fresh Air from WHYY, May 21, 2012. and was a 2012 winner of ASCAP Foundation's Harold Adamson Lyric Award.Philbrook, Erik. "Young Master of Unbridled Americana" John Fullbright Receives ASCAP Foundation Lyric Award. ASCAP website, June 26, 2012.
Fullbright briefly attended Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, Oklahoma, but left college to work with musician Mike McClure. A year later, after appearing on McClure's 2008 release did7, Fullbright began his solo career.Wood, Arthur. John Fullbright: All the Way From Okemah, Oklahoma. Maverick Magazine, September/October 2012, Issue # 116, p. 56-7.
He performed an Oklahoma City venue called The Blue Door for the first time in April 2008. Live at the Blue Door was recorded by Travis Linville on February 17, 2009, his fourth appearance at the venue, the night before he left for the 2009 Folk Alliance Conference in Memphis. The owner of the club later became Fullbright's manager. In 2012 Fullbright's performance at the SXSW was described as being "as perfect as if it were a Jonathan Demme concert film.". SXSW: John Fullbright comes of age. Chicago Sun-Times, March 14, 2012. In June, he played the main stage at the Kerrville Folk Festival and in July at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival's Pastures of Plenty main stage. The music reviewer at No Depression wrote in her blog: "People who hadn’t heard Fullbright previously were stopped in their tracks by the brilliance of this 24-year-old whose mature lyrics have an immediate impact."Webb, Jela. Woody Guthrie Folk Festival (Okemah, Oklahoma July 11 –15, 2012). No Depression, July 20, 2012. Also published in Maverick Magazine, Nov.-Dec. 2012, Issue #117, p. 20.
Fullbright's debut studio release From the Ground Up – released on May 8, 2012 – was recorded and mixed at 115 Recording in Norman, Oklahoma, with producer/engineer Wes Sharon. The title of the release pays homage to the farmhouse where he grew up. Fullbright states: "Every song on this record was written in that house, and I was kind of written in that house." In the studio with his backing musicians, Fullbright was almost immediately captivated by what he was hearing. Although he initially thought he would leave the studio with a demo record, he says: "We got lost in it in those three hours we were recording. We all looked at each other and thought, ‘No, this is the record. It’s not going to get any better than this anywhere else."Reed, James. John Fullbright a young master of Americana. Boston Globe, June 10, 2012.
Favorable reviews include The Washington Times which said: " From the Ground Up proves to be a killer debut, pairing sharply worded stories that resonate with confident performances that pop."Leahey, Andrew. Listening Station: John Fullbright. Washington Times, May 7, 2012. The album peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard charts Top Folk Albums chart for the week of June 9, 2012. Folk Albums: Week of June 9, 2012. Billboard.com.
Fullbright performed at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame tribute concert honoring Chuck Berry on October 27, 2012. The concert – part of the Hall's American Music Masters Series – took place in Cleveland at the State Theater.Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. American Music Masters Tribute Concert Honoring Chuck Berry. Fullbright played keyboard and harmonica on "Downbound Train."Doyle, Patrick. Chuck Berry Rocks Cleveland Tribute Concert. Rolling Stone, October 29, 2012. In his review of the show for Cleveland Scene, Jeff Niesel wrote: "While the New York Dolls David Johansen and Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister brought star power to the show, it was little known Americana singer-pianist John Fullbright who really shined on his contribution, a moody rendition of "Downbound Train."Niesel, Jeff. Concert Review and Slideshow: American Music Masters Series Tribute to Chuck Berry. Cleveland Scene, October 28, 2012.
On December 5, 2012, From the Ground Up was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Americana Album.Grammy.com. 55th Annual GRAMMY Awards Nominees. December 5, 2012. Fullbright says that he was scrubbing his bathtub when he learned that From the Ground Up – which he says co-producer Wes Sharon refers to as "the little record that could" – had received a Grammy nomination.Parton, Chris. John Fullbright Takes the Little Record That Could to the Grammys. CMT Edge, February 5, 2013. Fullbright performed "Gawd Above" at the Grammy Pre-Telecast show which was streamed live on the Grammy Awards website.McDonnell, Brandy. John Fullbright rocks the Grammys pre-telecast ceremony; Bonnie Raitt wins Best Americana Album. The Oklahoman, February 10, 2013.
Fullbright received the ASCAP Harold Adamson Lyric Award at the 17th Annual ASCAP Foundation Awards Ceremony held in New York City on December 12, 2012.Chase Morrin.com.
target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Invitation to ASCAP Foundation 17th Annual Awards Ceremony. December 12, 2012.
Fullbright's sophomore release Songs was released in May 2014. Within a week of its release, several favorable reviews appeared. In his review for The Wall Street Journal, Jim Fusilli wrote, " Songs is a warm, winning and plainspoken Americana album that builds on the authority and charm of From the Ground Up not by musical-muscle flexing, but by its clarity and simmering intensity."Fusilli, Jim. John Fullbright Opens Up on 'Songs' Album. The Wall Street Journal, March 20, 2014. In her review for American Songwriter, Lynne Margolis wrote, "Neil Young was 24 when he released After the Gold Rush. Joni Mitchell recorded Blue at 27. Years from now, after it stands the test of time, John Fullbright's Songs could take its place in that same pantheon of hallowed musical masterpieces."Margolis, Lynne. John Fullbright: Songs. American Songwriter, May 28, 2014. In his review for the Los Angeles Times, Randy Lewis wrote, "The simplicity of the album's title is a harbinger of what it contains – songs impressively and potently economical, mostly stripped to the emotional essence through poetically concise lyrics and heart-rending musical settings." In her review for NPR's All Things Considered, Meredith Ochs wrote, "So what makes John Fulbright good enough to prompt comparisons to the likes of Townes Van Zandt. Maybe it's his voice, provocative and world weary beyond his years or his melodies that play gently and continuously in your head, long after his new album reaches the end. Or his spacious and sometimes unexpected arrangements that let the songs breathe on their own accord, like they do on this one."Ochs, Meredith. Fullbright's Sophomore Album Features Spacious, Confident Songs. All Things Considered, May 29, 2014.
On June 27, 2014, the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame presented Fullbright with its Rising Star award at an awards ceremony in Muskogee, Oklahoma.Mitchell, Murphy. John Fullbright receives Rising Star Award in Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. Tulsa World, June 28, 2014.
Fullbright's first major exposure on American national television occurred when he performed on The Late Show with David Letterman on August 28, 2014.McDonnell, Brandy. John Fullbright to perform TONIGHT on "The Late Show with David Letterman". The Oklahoman, August 28, 2014.
During the 2017 Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, Fullbright was one of many performers along with Andy Adams, the Burns Sisters, Michael Fracasso, Jaimee Harris, Greg Jacobs, Levi Parham, Joel Rafael and the Red Dirt Rangers who performed at a tribute for Jimmy LaFave, festival-regular and board member, who had died two months earlier.McDonnell, Brandy. Woody Guthrie Folk Festival reveals 2017 lineup, including Jimmy LaFave tribute, Arlo Guthrie, John Fullbright, Turnpike Troubadours and more. The Oklahoman, June 12, 2017.
In 2018 Fullbright shifted his focus to the production and recording spectrum while also intermittently touring. In particular, he produced the album Things Change for the Raleigh, North Carolina–based Americana group American Aquarium.Gage, Jeff. American Aquarium Prep New Album 'Things Change'. RollingStone, March 7, 2018.
Earlier in his career he commented on the pressure of recording new material while meeting the standard set by previous pieces of work. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't," Fullbright told the Tulsa World. "It's a little bit manic in the sense that when I'm under pressure, I'm under pressure. But if I sit and think about it long enough, I realize that the pressure doesn't really exist and then I'm not under pressure. It wanes and waxes back and forth between being terrified and being overconfident."
| ! scope="col" rowspan="2"Year ! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Title ! scope="col" colspan="8" | Peak chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Label | |||||||
| 2022 | The Liar | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Blue Dirt Records |
| 2014 | Songs | 94 | 6 | — | 28 | 12 | 77 | 101 | 15 | |
| 2012 | From the Ground Up | — | 10 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2009 | Live at the Blue Door | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2014 | Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame | Rising Star Award | |
| 2013 | 55th Grammy Awards | Best Americana Album – From the Ground Up | |
| Americana Music Association | Emerging Artist of the Year | ||
| 2012 | ASCAP | Harold Adamson Lyric Award |
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