Countrypolitan smoothness

IN the midst of overwhelming critical praise for his debut album Mr Jukebox - out now on Jack White's label Third Man Records - Nashville singer-songwriter Joshua Hedley has confirmed a run of UK and European headline dates in September, including a show at the Sage 2 in Gateshead on Friday, September 7, with support from Rob Heron. Hedley’s album was highlighted among the "best of 2018 so far" by Whispering Bob Harris on BBC R2 and described by The Times as a "perfect pastiche of Glen Campbell, George Jones and other makers of countrypolitan smoothness".

An accomplished fiddle player, Hedley felt inexplicably drawn toward the instrument as a child. He got his hands on his own fiddle ages eight, and by 12, he was playing with more experienced local middle-aged pickers. At 19, he moved from his native Florida to Nashville, where he became an in-demand sideman at legendary downtown bar Robert’s Western World among others, and ultimately, a well-respected frontman. Armed with an easy croon and prodigious fiddle playing, he became known as the ‘Mayor of Lower Broadway’.

Hedley didn’t start writing his own songs until he was in his late twenties, eventually unlocking a flood of clarity and creativity. The heartbreaking, distilled, defiantly classic country that poured out of him became Mr. Jukebox, a salve and beacon for 60s honky-tonk devotees everywhere.

To get a flavour of what's in store on the night, fans can check out his latest single and video 'Weird Thought Thinker' now via his website, taken from the debut album which is available online and in record stores across the UK. "I think of 'Weird Thought Thinker' as my introduction to everyone," he says. "This song is just me telling y'all about myself so we can get to know each other.”

W: joshuahedley.com

Tickets: http://www.sagegateshead.com/event/joshua-hedley/