Int'l Radio Host To Perform

Every week Michael Johnathon is heard on over 400 radio stations in 32 countries, hosting the Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour from the Kentucky Theater in Lexington. On June 24 the New York native will be heard for the first time in South Jersey when he performs as part of the Wetlands Institute’s Marsh Music concert series.

Michael grew up in upstate New York along the shores of the Hudson River. At 19 years old, he moved to the Mexican border town of Laredo, Texas to work as a late night DJ. One night, he played Turn, Turn, Turn by the 60’s folk rock group The Byrds. As the song played, he recalled seeing folk artists like Pete Seeger, Harry Chapin and others performing in his hometown. By the time the three-minute song ended, he decided to leave Laredo and pursue a career as a folksinger. Two months later, he bought a guitar and a banjo and settled into the mountain hamlet of Mousie, Kentucky. For the next three years, he traveled up and down the Appalachian Mountains knocking on doors and enjoying the music of the mountain people.

His travels led to him authoring a book and recording the all-acoustic WoodSongs CD. The musical highlight of the CD is the duet “New Wood” with his concert partner, the legendary Odetta. Other featured musicians on the CD include Grammy-winning banjo master JD Crowe, Appalachian icon Jean Ritchie, and mountain musician Homer Ledford.

The success of WoodSongs led to the creation of radio’s only live audience program dedicated to brilliant but unknown artists. The show, called the WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour, which Michael writes and hosts each week, is now broadcast on over 400 radio stations in 32 countries across the USA and around the globe. The show, with a weekly audience exceeding a half million listeners, is also the first multi-camera weekly series to broadcast on the Internet.

Marsh Music at the Wetlands Institute continues on Thursday nights with Johnathon’s June 24 performance. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Tickets, $10 for Institute members, $12 for non-members, with a $5 discount for children under 12, are available in advance or at the door. Call the Wetlands Institute, 1075 Stone Harbor Blvd., Stone Harbor, 609-368-1211. Marsh Music continues on July 1, featuring Pittsburgh songwriter Bill Deasy.

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Author: Press Release--Wetlands Institute