Artist Information
Hailing from Broken Arrow, OK, JD McPherson has recorded four studio albums and toured extensively at venues worldwide, including festival sets at Glastonbury, Bonnaroo and Newport Folk Festival, among many others. Rolling Stone has described his music as “Timeless, forward-thinking rock & roll.” His 2017 LP, Undivided Heart & Soul, was released to widespread critical acclaim with NPR praising, “McPherson’s mastery of rock and soul fundamentals is beyond question, but his voice moves in wild ways on these songs, and the band exudes a new kind of risky energy.”
McPherson was born as the youngest child, growing up on the family’s cattle ranch near the town of Talihina. His father was a farmer, while his mother was a church minister. He took up the guitar at age 13.
“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. So it probably would have been a different story if I grew up in a town somewhere.”
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. McPherson taught middle school art for four years before embarking on a music career.
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. This was the start of a process that ultimately led to 2010's Signs and Signifiers. After its wider release through Rounder Records, Rolling Stone gave Signs and Signifiers a 3½ star (out of 5) review in November 2012 and labeled McPherson an "Artist to Watch."
McPherson’s sophomore LP, Let The Good Times Roll, was released on Rounder Records in 2015, showing McPherson with a wider musical range and an even stronger ability to weave the present with the past.
In 2018 McPherson released his breakthrough debut Christmas album, SOCKS, featuring 11 all-original Christmas songs, the album received overwhelming critical praise.
