Updated 3/2025
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HEAD: McKnight Delivers Musical Missives of Hope & History
SUBHEAD: Award-Winning Songwriter Discovers Music In His DNA
ARTIST INFO: www.andrewmcknight.net PRESSKIT: andrewmcknight.net/presskit
Please email info at andrewmcknight.net or call 540/338-3233 for an interview or for additional information, and thank you for your time.
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Award-winning singer, songwriter, guitarist and storyteller Andrew McKnight comes to TOWN to perform at VENUE/EVENT on DAY and DATE. McKnight's solo performances are powerful and entertaining one-man theatre, delivered with the warmth and down-home comfort native to his northern Virginia Blue Ridge home. He weaves his finely-crafted songs and nimble flatpicking together with humorous stories and poetic drama, while the musical soundscape traverses influences from Appalachia, spooky slide and jazzy blues, feisty anthems, and rustic folk. His shows are as likely to include humorous songs written with kindergarteners as some of his powerful collaborations with combat veterans coping with PTSD. For tickets and more information, CONTACT.
His latest solo album and book Treasures in My Chest adds a cast of spellbinding songs and stories drawn from his journeys into family history. Accompanied by three guitars, a dobro, Native American flute and an African hand drum (some with their own remarkable stories), the stage comes alive with intimate detail and vibrant lyricism. From placing you in the footsteps of his doomed Civil War ancestor Aretas Culver, to finding sparks of hope in the long winter nights on the shores of mid-1800s County Down, his vision, voice and pen have created a mesmerizing sweet spot deeply familiar to anyone who's wondered, "who am I and where did I come from?"
On stage he welcomes you into the diverse aspects of his unique life, ranging from family DNA tests, time spent with Appalachian miners, guitars made of local native wood, and much more. A storyteller blessed with natural gifts of presence and timing, he prefers to think of himself as a “storytender,” much like that expert mixologist pouring at your high-end bar, distilling and weaving the perfect details to keep the imagination continuously engaged. As McKnight says, "I couldn't make these stories up, and it would be a shame not to share them!"
"The skillful songwriter's interest in history is revealed in songs such as the Civil War ballad "The Road to Appomattox" and the soldier's elegy "Wind Whispers Your Name." ... He also works in true folkie tradition, updating lyrics to classic material such as "Worried Man Blues" or reworking Robert Johnson's "Crossroads" to place himself mano-a-devil." (The Washington Post).
Since leaving his corporate environmental engineering career in 1996, McKnight has logged nearly a million miles touring across America. In addition to his solo career, he fronts Andrew McKnight & Beyond Borders along with founding Nitty Gritty Dirt Band member Les Thompson. Their 2012 live CD/DVD One Virginia Night and Andrew's five solo CDs have earned much critical acclaim and airplay around the world as well as a wealth of NPR stations and several XM/Sirius satellite shows. Andrew is part of the prestigious Virginia Commission for the Arts Touring Artist Program, and an Endorsing Artist for Fairbuilt Guitars.
For more about McKnight including concert videos, music downloads and more, visit www.andrewmcknight.net
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