Name: John Hartford Days
Start: 2025-01-31T00:00:00-06:00
End: 2025-02-01T23:59:59-06:00
Location: Woodward Theatre

Weekend Schedule

Friday, January 31

10:00 am - Registration in Lobby

1:00 pm - Jamming Workshop

2:00 pm - Discussion Panel

3:30 pm - Banjo, Fiddles, & Riverboats Film

5:00 pm - Pre-concert Lounge

6:00 pm - Opener

7:15 pm - Sam Bush Band with Guests

9:30 pm - After Party

Saturday, February 1

10:00 am - Registration in Lobby

1:00 pm - Jamming Workshop

2:00 pm - Discussion Panel

3:30 pm - Ramblin' with John Hartford Film

5:00 pm - Pre-concert Lounge

6:00 pm - Opener

7:15 pm - Sam Bush Band with Guests

9:30 pm - After Party

Sam Bush

Sam Bush, a pioneer of the "newgrass" movement, has collaborated with artists like Doc Watson, Emmylou Harris, Garth Brooks, and Shania Twain. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009, was inducted into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame in 2020, and was named the "Father of Newgrass" in 2010.

In 2022, Sam Bush released Radio John: Songs of John Hartford, paying tribute to his friend and mentor. The album features Bush’s personal favorites from Hartford’s catalog, including songs he played with him in the 1970s. In the liner notes, Bush reflects on his lifelong admiration for Hartford, starting with hearing him on The Wilburn Brothers Show in 1967 and later performing with him in New Grass Revival. Hartford’s catalog, including Aereo-Plain and Mark Twang, is rich beyond his hit “Gentle on My Mind,” with his influence spanning documentaries and the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack.

Jamie Hartford

Jamie Hartford, the son of John Hartford, grew up in a musical environment, learning from artists like Johnny Cash, the Everly Brothers, Cowboy Jack Clement, and John Prine. Early in his career, he occasionally filled in for Albert Lee during Everly Brothers performances and also played with the re-formed Amazing Rhythm Aces. In 1997, Paladin Records released his album What About Yes, featuring Pat McLaughlin, Jeff Davis, and Jim Lauderdale. Hartford also paid tribute to his father by recording an album with him, Hartford & Hartford, and an album of his father’s songs, Part of Your History: The Songs of John Hartford.

Rodney Dillard

Rodney Dillard has had a long and varied career resulting so far in two Grammy Nominations, induction into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, a well-known acting stint on the Andy Griffith Show, many other movie, commercials and TV appearances. Rodney Dillard as founding member of The Dillards is seen nearly everyday somewhere in the world thanks to The Andy Griffith Show reruns.

Rodney continued to modernize and innovate the sound of Bluegrass as he wrote and collaborated to write such now classic songs as “There Is a Time”, “The Darlin Boys”, “Ebo Walker”, and “Dooley”. He has stayed involved in the music industry by producing albums, TV, and radio commercials and has toured worldwide for 50 years.

Mike Compton

Mike Compton, mentored by Bill Monroe, is a leading interpreter of Monroe’s mandolin style. He teaches at the annual Monroe Mandolin Camp in Nashville, where students learn everything from bluegrass basics to intricate details of Monroe’s style. Compton has toured and recorded with artists like Sting, Gregg Allman, Elvis Costello, John Hartford, Doc Watson, and Ralph Stanley, cementing his place as a master of the modern American mandolin and Americana music. With over 140 albums, his work includes collaborations with Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Patty Loveless, keeping the mandolin relevant in contemporary music.

A Mississippi native, Compton began playing the mandolin in his teens, influenced by blues, country, and bluegrass. He co-founded the Nashville Bluegrass Band and has been part of He’s also been a part of the John Hartford Stringband, Helen Highwater Stringband,
1942, Compton & Newberry, and other seminal groups. His expertise was crucial for T-Bone Burnett's O Brother, Where Art Thou? project, which won a Grammy and sparked a bluegrass revival.

Alison Brown

Alison Brown, an internationally recognized banjoist, transitioned from investment banking to music after missing the bluegrass she grew up with in Southern California. She joined Alison Krauss and Union Station, then formed her own group, The Alison Brown Quartet, in 1993. Known for her unique style, Alison and her band have performed at prestigious venues worldwide, including The Kennedy Center and Newport Folk Festival. Alison was featured on the album, Memories of John: The John Hartford String Band. She has released 12 acclaimed solo albums, won a GRAMMY, and received numerous nominations and awards. Alison co-founded Compass Records Group, a highly regarded roots music label, and serves on the Recording Academy Board, Vanderbilt's faculty, and as co-chair of the Steve Martin Banjo Prize.

Jim Lauderdale

Jim Lauderdale is always immersed in music, whether recording a new track in the studio or experimenting with melodies at home in Nashville. If he’s not actively making music, he’s reflecting on it. “It’s a constant challenge to make better records and write better songs. I still feel like I’m a developing artist,” he says. Despite his two Grammy wins, 34 albums, and the Americana Music Association’s Wagonmaster Award, he continues to grow. Lauderdale released Game Changer and My Favorite Place under his own label, Sky Crunch Records, recorded at Blackbird Studios in Nashville.

Since his 1991 debut, Lauderdale has been a key figure in country music, writing for legends like Loretta Lynn, George Jones, and Emmylou Harris. He’s continually inspired by the opportunity to collaborate with such influential artists.

Showman & Coole

Through twenty years and a couple of thousand shows together in bands such as The Foggy Hogtown Boys and The Lonesome Ace Stringband, John Showman and Chris Coole have developed a deep and instinctual musical bond. Their music lurks in a truly unique space that is somewhere on the outskirts of old-time, bluegrass, and folk. The songs of John Hartford, Hank Williams, Dock Boggs, and The Band share space with the fiddle tunes of Eck Robertson and Ed Haley. The duo’s original songs and tunes take in all these vistas and paint something both personal and timely.

They have performed across North America and Europe at festivals such as Merlefest, Rockygrass, Winnipeg Folk Festival, Mariposa, Wintergrass, Gooikroots, and The John Hartford Memorial Festival. In 2022, the duo released two albums; “Afield” a collection of old-time fiddle tunes, and “Much Further Out than Inevitable – A Tribute to Some Music of John Hartford.”

Bundle Tickets with Discounted Hotel Stay

Located next door to the Hall of Fame, The Hampton Inn & Suites Waterfront is the perfect option for accommodations when joining us for a concert! Enjoy sweeping riverfront views while staying with our hotel partner. When you bundle your tickets, the Hampton Inn offers discounted rates for your stay. The price includes two tickets to the concert, and the tickets are located in row H. You will receive your tickets at check-in with the hotel.

Call the Hampton Inn directly at: 270-685-2005

Event Details

John Hartford Days

January 31, 2025 - February 1, 2025

Weekend Schedule

Showman & Coole

Bundle Tickets with Discounted Hotel Stay

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