JD McPherson

JD McPherson

Performing on A Prairie Home Companion in 2015
Background information
Birth name Jonathan David McPherson
Born (1977-04-14) April 14, 1977
Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Origin Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Genres Rock and roll, rhythm and blues, rockabilly[1][2]
Instruments Guitar, vocals
Labels Hi-STYLE, Rounder
Associated acts
  • The Starkweather Boys
  • The Poison Okies
Website http://www.jdmcpherson.com/
Members
  • JD McPherson (vocals, guitar)
  • Jimmy Sutton (upright bass)
  • Jason Smay (drums)
  • Ray Jacildo (keys)
  • Doug Corcoran (saxophone, guitar, keys)

Jonathan David "JD" McPherson, born April 14, 1977, is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. He is known for a retro sound rooted in the rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and rockabilly music of the 1950s. Among influences such as Little Richard and Fats Domino, McPherson also draws inspiration from artists as diverse as the Wu-Tang Clan, Pixies, and Led Zeppelin.[2][3][4]

Biography

McPherson grew up in rural southeastern Oklahoma, on a cattle ranch near the town of Talihina. His father was a farmer and ex-army while his mother was a church minister.[5][6] He took up the guitar at age 13.[3] In high school he played in a number of local punk rock bands and began writing his own songs.[7] He has stated that he has never not been in a band of some sort since he was 16 years of age.[8]

Of his youth growing up in a quiet rural area, he said that this allowed him to involve himself in the pursuit of music:

But where I actually grew up was just completely removed from anything resembling a town or a city. It was an hour away from the nearest supermarket. What that granted me was a lot of isolation and when you are bored you tend to work really hard on your interests. I was granted a lot of opportunity to play the guitar, listen to music and read about music. So it probably would have been a different story if I grew up in a town somewhere.[8]

During this time, McPherson also developed a strong interest in 1950s rock and roll after being exposed to the music of Buddy Holly. This went on to shape his song writing and sound for bands he was in such as The Poison Okies and The Starkweather Boys.

He studied visual arts in college, earning a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Tulsa, and later worked as an art and technology teacher.[3] After deciding to pursue music more seriously, McPherson sent a demo to Jimmy Sutton of the small independent record label Hi-STYLE Records, which specialized in roots music. Sutton agreed to produce McPherson's debut album: this became 2010's Signs and Signifiers.[4]

On 19 November 2012, Rolling Stone labelled McPherson an "Artist to Watch" in a 3½ star (out of 5) review of Signs and Signifiers after its wider release through Rounder Records.[9]

The band played the acoustic stage at the Glastonbury Festival 2015 on Friday June 26, before continuing their European tour in the Netherlands.

In October 2015, JD McPherson and band appeared (in animated form) as musical guests performing a new and original song "Crazy Horse" for the DreamWorks animated TV series, The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show on Netflix.[10][11]

Discography

Albums

Title Details Peak chart positions
US
Rock
[12]		 US
[13]		 US
Heat
[14]
Signs and Signifiers 47 161 1
Let the Good Times Roll 17 142 1

Signs & Signifiers

His debut album Signs and Signifiers was released in 2010 on Hi-STYLE Records. The album was given a major-label release by Rounder Records on April 17, 2012,[3] debuting at number one on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart and number 161 on the Billboard 200 the week of June 2, 2012. It also reached number 47 on the Billboard Rock Albums chart.[15]

The single "Your Love (All That I'm Missing)", from the album Signs and Signifiers, was released by Rounder/Hi-STYLE in the UK on June 18, 2012.[16]

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "North Side Gal"  JD McPherson 2:31
2. "Country Boy"  JD McPherson 2:44
3. "Fire Bug"  JD McPherson 2:18
4. "Signs & Signifiers"  McPherson / Sutton 4:46
5. "Wolf Teeth"  McPherson / Sutton 2:57
6. "Scratching Circles"  McPherson / Sutton 2:10
7. "A Gentle Awakening"  McPherson / Sutton 3:26
8. "Dimes For Nickels"  JD McPherson 2:43
9. "B.G.M.O.S.R.N.R."  McPherson / Sutton 2:59
10. "I Can't Complain"  McPherson / Sutton 2:37
11. "Your Love (All That I'm Missing)"  Joseph Simeone (of The Bellfuries) 3:01
12. "Scandalous"  JD McPherson 2:28
Total length:
 34:34

Let the Good Times Roll

McPherson's second album, Let the Good Times Roll, was released on February 10, 2015.[17]

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Let the Good Times Roll"  JD McPherson 3:04
2. "Bossy"  JD McPherson 3:18
3. "It's All Over But the Shouting"  JD McPherson / Mark Neill 3:03
4. "Bridgebuilder"  Dan Auerbach / JD McPherson 3:57
5. "It Shook Me Up"  JD McPherson 2:25
6. "Head Over Heels"  JD McPherson 3:18
7. "Shy Boy"  JD McPherson 2:55
8. "You Must Have Met Little Caroline?"  JD McPherson 3:36
9. "Precious"  McPherson / Sutton 4:53
10. "Mother of Lies"  JD McPherson 3:37
11. "Everybody's Talking ‘Bout the All-American"  JD McPherson 2:11
Total length:
 36:17

Singles and EPs

Title Details Peak chart positions
US
Rock
[12]		 US
[13]		 US
Heat
[14]
North Side Gal
  • Release date: 2010
  • Label: Witchcraft International
Your Love (All That I'm Missing)
Dimes For Nickels
North Side Gal / Abigail Blue
  • Release date: 2012
  • Label: Hi-STYLE Records
Twinkle (Little Christmas Lights)
Fire Bug / A Gentle Awakening
I Wish You Would / Steal Away
The Warm Covers EP
Bossy / Rome Wasn't Built In A Day

The Warm Covers EP

No. TitleWriter(s)Original artist Length
1. "I Wish You Would"  Billy Boy ArnoldBilly Boy Arnold 2:45
2. "Steal Away"  Jimmy HughesJimmy Hughes 3:08
3. "Rome Wasn't Built In a Day"  Nick LoweNick Lowe 3:00
4. "Why Lady Why"  Richard Edward Scott & Teddy GentryAlabama 3:01
Total length:
 11:54

Music videos

Year Video Director
2012 "North Side Gal" JD McPherson
"Fire Bug"
"A Gentle Awakening"
"Scratching Circles"
2015 "Head Over Heels" JD McPherson
"Let the Good Times Roll"
"It's All Over But the Shouting"

Awards

References

  1. ↑ Collar, Matt. "JD McPherson: Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  2. 1 2 "JD McPherson: When A Punk Goes Vintage". NPR. May 18, 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Lang, George (May 18, 2012). "Oklahoman JD McPherson shows 'Signs' of success". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  4. 1 2 Orr, Gillian (May 12, 2012). "Observations: Rockabilly revivalist brings it on home from the Northside". The Independent. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  5. ↑ "JD McPherson". Hi-STYLE Records. Hi-STYLE Records. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  6. ↑ "StreetStyled: Talking with JD McPherson". YouTube. StreetStyled.com. 22 May 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  7. ↑ Schlansky, Evan (April 30, 2012). "JD McPherson". American Songwriter. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  8. 1 2 "JD McPherson :: Interview". Libel Music. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  9. ↑ Doyle, Patrick (November 19, 2012). "JD McPherson: Signs & Signifiers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  10. ↑ "The sonics of Rock 'n Roll - JD McPherson in session on The Inside Sleeve". Radio National. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 19 February 2016. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  11. ↑ ""Crazy Horse" Music Video - JD McPherson - The Mr. Peabody & Sherman Show". YouTube. 25 December 2015. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
  12. 1 2 "JD McPherson Album & Song Chart History - Rock Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  13. 1 2 "JD McPherson Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  14. 1 2 "JD McPherson Album & Song Chart History - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  15. ↑ "Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  16. ↑ Steffen Hung (2012-06-18). "JD McPherson feat. Jimmy Sutton and Alex Hall - Your Love (All That I'm Missing)". uk-charts.com. Retrieved 2015-06-26.
  17. ↑ "JD McPherson's Top 10 Post-50s Rockabilly Albums - Features". CMJ. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  18. ↑ Jon Blistein (November 28, 2012). "JD McPherson Swings Into the Holidays With 'Twinkle (Little Christmas Lights)'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
  19. ↑ "11th Annual Independent Music Awards Winners Announced!". Independentmusicawards.com. Retrieved 2015-06-26.

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