Musician, songwriter, folklorist, and honorable Kentucky Colonel, Nathan Blake Lynn, brings his American roots music to Sounds Good's next Live Lunch installment ahead of his Backstage Pass performance at the Clemens Fine Arts Center.
From Nathan Blake Lynn's website:
"Growing up in Western Kentucky, near the town of Paducah, Nathan has been influenced by the hills and bottoms that collide in this rich cultural area known for its river confluences. His family has played a role in his sound through gospel and country music, including the introduction to Western Kentucky Thumbpicking.
After graduating from Murray State University in 2003, Lynn was employed at the Homeplace 1850 Living History Farm in Land Between the Lakes. Here he studied American history and worked in many traditional trades, including delving deeper into traditional southern music. It was also during this time that he and a number of friends formed the Americana band Bawn in the Mash.
Over the years, Nathan has shared bills with many artists including Tim O'Brien, Darrell Scott, Pokey Lafarge and the South City Three, Tony Rice, Peter Rowan, Leftover Salmon, Cowboy Jack Clement, J.D. Wilkes, Eddie Pennington, and many others. In 2011, Nathan received an honorable mention in the Telluride Troubadour competition. The same year, his song, "Last Night in Grandma's Bed," was featured as the intro music for the acclaimed show, Bluegrass Underground.
Lynn spent many years working as a transporter, traveling in a white Freightliner across the country. He also had the fortune of performing upon numerous excursion boats on the Ohio, Tennessee, and Cumberland Rivers, including the Delta Queen. After living in St. Louis and Chicago from 2008-2010 with his wife and children, he returned to Paducah, KY and began work as the head of the Local and Family History Department at the McCracken Country Public Library in 2011.
Nathan has appeared on numerous KET programs as well as in Paducah Life, Tribal, Story Magazine, and many other publications. In 2013, Lynn was featured in the WKMS documentary "Kentucky Dam: Power for the People," which won the 2013 National Sigma Delta Chi Award Winner given by the Society of Professional Journalists. The following year, he was featured in the WKMS documentary "Irvin S. Cobb: Back Home." Also in 2014, he began to present at engagements, advocating the preservation of Western Kentucky roustabout music and the work of musicologist Mary Wheeler.
Lynn's 5th solo album, Tales of a River Hobbit, was released in the spring of 2017."
Join Tracy Ross on November 22nd at 12-noon for Nathan Blake Lynn's performance. Listen on-air, on the WKMS website, or on the WKMS Facebook page. Live Lunch is made possible by Murray State Digital Media Services, Just Hamburgers in Paducah, KY, and listeners like you.
Lynn will perform at the Clemens Fine Arts Center on the WKCTC campus in Paducah, KY the following day on Saturday, November 23rd at 7:30 p.m. The Backstage Pass series is a stripped-back live music series that connects the audience with the artist in an intimate listening room space. Reserve your tickets by calling 270-534-3213 or visiting the Arts in Focus website.