JD McPherson

JD McPherson
Birth name Jonathan David McPherson
Born 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
Website http://www.jdmcpherson.com/

JD McPherson (born Jonathan David McPherson, 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 more obvious influences like 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, near the town of Talihina. 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.[5] 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 Hi-Style Records, a label specializing in roots music. Sutton agreed to produce McPherson's debut album, which was released in 2010.[4]

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.[6]

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.[7]

On November 19, 2012 Rolling Stone Magazine labeled McPherson an "Artist to Watch" in a 3 1/2 star (out of 5) review of Signs and Signifiers.[8]

McPherson's second album, Let the Good Times Roll, was released on February 10th, 2015.[9]

Discography

Albums

Title Details Peak chart positions
US
Rock
[10]		 US
[11]		 US
Heat
[12]
Signs and Signifiers 47 161 1
Let The Good Times Roll 17 142 1

Music videos

Year Video Director
2012 "North Side Gal" JD McPherson
"Fire Bug"
"A Gentle Awakening"
"Scratching Circles"

Awards

Independent Music Awards 2012: Signs & Signifiers - Best Rock/Hard Rock Album[13]

References

  1. ↑ Collar, Matt. "JD McPherson: Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "JD McPherson: When A Punk Goes Vintage". NPR. May 18, 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lang, George (May 18, 2012). "Oklahoman JD McPherson shows 'Signs' of success". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Orr, Gillian (May 12, 2012). "Observations: Rockabilly revivalist brings it on home from the Northside". The Independent. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  5. ↑ Schlansky, Evan (April 30, 2012). "JD McPherson". American Songwriter. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  6. ↑ "Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  7. ↑ "JD MCPHERSON FEAT. JIMMY SUTTON AND ALEX HALL - YOUR LOVE (ALL THAT I'M MISSING) (SONG)" at uk-charts.com
  8. ↑ Doyle, Patrick (November 19, 2012). "JD McPherson: Signs & Signifiers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  9. ↑ "JD McPherson's Top 10 Post-50s Rockabilly Albums - Features". CMJ. Retrieved 13 February 2015.
  10. ↑ "JD McPherson Album & Song Chart History - Rock Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  11. ↑ "JD McPherson Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  12. ↑ "JD McPherson Album & Song Chart History - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved October 14, 2012.
  13. ↑ "11th Annual Independent Music Awards Winners Announced!" Independent Music Awards, 2 May 2012. Retrieved on 4 Sept. 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to JD McPherson.