“This is a project of resurrection, and recovering lost wisdom. John’s melodic guitar playing and resonant voice create an evocative mood that channels T-Bone Slim’s words into the present with care and consideration.” - Billy Bragg

Resurrection || T-Bone Slim

A guitarist & songwriter born and raised in North Carolina, John Westmoreland has been performing professionally for over 15 years. He grew up playing blues, rock, and folk music, and went on to study jazz and classical composition at Berklee College of Music. As a solo artist, and with a full band, his style interweaves elements from genres such as folk, Americana, world music, and jazz. In 2019 he released a debut album, Cast Fire, which has received attention and airplay across the US and abroad. Now Westmoreland is slated to release his second full length album, Resurrection. This new record is unique, and rooted in Westmoreland's Finnish heritage. It pays homage to a long forgotten family member, Westmoreland's great granduncle-Matti Valentine Huhta-who became a legendary songwriter, columnist, and poet for the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World), known by the moniker T-Bone Slim. In 2017, Westmoreland discovered an archive of T-Bone's unpublished songs, and set out to compose new music to accompany the lyrics. With financial support from The North Carolina Arts Council, The Finlandia Foundation, & The Kone Foundation, production of the album was completed just before the 80th anniversary of T-Bone Slim's mysterious demise in the East River of Manhattan in May, 1942... All these decades later the voice of T-Bone Slim is as relevant as ever, and Westmoreland aims to honor his music and legacy, with the release of Resurrection and by performing this music across Finland and the United States.
 

 

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