John Flynn
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Long-time friend and Flynn champion, Kris Kristofferson has called John "an important artist whose work in prisons, rehabs, and half-way houses is distilled into the truth and the beauty of heartfelt and heartwarming slices of life".
John is known for his powerful music and tireless efforts on behalf of the lost and the lonely, the shackled and scarred. His career has embodied an authentic troubadour odyssey that moved legendary folk DJ Gene Shay to call Flynn "the most quintessential folk singer in my life", and Deana McCloud, Executive Director of the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma to write, "John Flynn is the real deal. His work follows in the footsteps of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Kris Kristofferson, and other… troubadours as he speaks the truth and gives a voice to the disenfranchised. His work fills your heart and opens your eyes as he continues to walk the walk of a true advocate for equality… and peace." Arlo Guthrie invited John to join musical legends like Willie Nelson and Ramblin' Jack Elliott on the historic "Train to New Orleans" tour following Hurricane Katrina. It was on that trip that Ramblin' Jack generously dubbed Flynn "the John Lennon of the plasma generation", whatever that was supposed to mean! |
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Among the recognitions John has received for his work are the Phil Ochs Award for Music and Social Activism for Political and Social Justice, the Dominican's Shining Star Award, Rotary's Paul Harris Fellow Award, and Pacem in Terris's Peacemaker Among Us Award. Additionally, The American Library Association has recognized John for his family and children’s recordings; and, in 2012 he was a Grammy-honoree for his song "Two Wolves' on the anti-bullying compilation, All About Bullies Big and Small.
Over the years many people have said laudatory things about the totality of John's work and mission but this quote from Si Kahn does as well as any at trying to sum up a 40 plus year career comprising so many seemingly disparate elements' and yet, they fit together perfectly.:
"The only reason John Flynn doesn't have half a dozen songs in Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Alan Lomax's book Hard Hitting Songs for Hard-Hit People is that when they started writing, John hadn't even been born yet. But he's a worthy heir to the tradition and to the commitments Seeger, Lomax and Guthrie represent. John can hit hard, but he does it with humanity, heart and often humor. When he follows a powerful ballad about the tough lives of prisoners with a children's song about 'duck doo' on your pickup truck, it's hard not to imagine Pete, Woody and Alan smiling and singing along."
Over the years many people have said laudatory things about the totality of John's work and mission but this quote from Si Kahn does as well as any at trying to sum up a 40 plus year career comprising so many seemingly disparate elements' and yet, they fit together perfectly.:
"The only reason John Flynn doesn't have half a dozen songs in Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Alan Lomax's book Hard Hitting Songs for Hard-Hit People is that when they started writing, John hadn't even been born yet. But he's a worthy heir to the tradition and to the commitments Seeger, Lomax and Guthrie represent. John can hit hard, but he does it with humanity, heart and often humor. When he follows a powerful ballad about the tough lives of prisoners with a children's song about 'duck doo' on your pickup truck, it's hard not to imagine Pete, Woody and Alan smiling and singing along."
“You want a bad ass folk cat who tears off pieces of his soul, rhymes them and lays lyrics that bleed on melodies that even poet angels smoking cigarettes in the alleys of seventh heaven envy and soulful little demons hanging around Detroit recording studios all wishing they could sing like him? Well then, John Flynn is your man.”
— ray wylie hubbard
"John Flynn's songwriting carries a wide open heart - they are both fierce and tender. Think Cat Stevens…....with a bit more folk rock and edge."
Mary Sue Twohy, SiriusXM
Listen to "The End Of The Beginning" |