Emotionally real, poetically told, all-original songs by one of Portland's finest singer-songwriters. Straight-ahead folk and blues, with a waltz or three.

11 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Modern Folk, FOLK: Folk Blues

Show all album songs: Some Day Fly Away Songs


Details:
Singer-songwriter Kevin Shay Johnson plays acoustic guitar and harmonica, and sings in a rich, evocative baritone. He originally hails from Connecticut where, as a teenager, he and his friends taught themselves how to play guitar. In 1980 he rode his bicycle across America to settle in Portland, Oregon, where he lives with his extended family. He's been an active part of Portland's thriving folk music scene ever since, playing with The Whammadiddle Dingbats, Cascadia Folk Quartet, and Free Range. He regularly appears solo at many of the area's farmers' markets.

In 2007 he released Some Day Fly Away, his first recording of all-original songs. Love, life, work, and longing frame the emotional canvas on which Kevin paints the stories of his life. Gritty, funny, poetic, and personal â an intimate listening experience, as if he's sitting in your kitchen playing these songs just for you. Some Day Fly Away also includes Alberta Hardy, violin and Jon Lindahl, slide and lead guitar on a couple of cuts.

If your musical tastes run to: Tom Rush, Jim Kweskin, Townes Van Zandt, Leonard Cohen, Tim Hardin, Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, Greg Brown, Jonathan Edwards, John Prine, Van Morrison, Jessie Fuller, and Johnny Cash, you'll love Kevin Shay Johnson.

PRAISE FOR SOME DAY FLY AWAY:

" Years ago, Kevin Shay Johnson was given the gift of a songwriter's pen. He listened well to his teachers; Cohen, Dylan & Prine, but ultimately it's all Kevin.... Looking over his shoulder he takes aim with a gutsy, no frills, street smart, earthy, rumbly voice you feel deep in the middle..."
âSteve Einhorn
singer-songwriter, performer w/ Kate Power
www.qualityfolk.com

"An honest and open voice. Very clever, very cool. My favorite song is Working On My Love (for you) which is tender without being sentimental. John Lennon taught us that 'warts' are OK to show to others and it takes courage to sing what is typically unsung. We are all monsters and assholes on some level on some nights. This is a very touching song."
âMarv Ross
producer, songwriter, Quarterflash, The Trail Band
www.rossproductions.com

MEMBER OF:

Cascadia Folk Quartet (a.k.a. The Whammadiddle Dingbats)
Featuring Lawrence Huntley: hammer dulcimer, bass; Mick Doherty: hammer dulcimer, bass, vocals; Kevin Shay Johnson: guitar, vocals, harmonica; Chip Cohen: fiddle.

"...Some of the finest folk musicians in Portland, which makes them some of the finest in the whole Northwest. Their performances are beautiful, exciting and funny."
âChris Nielson
Root & Branch, KBOO Radio

"They combined a gorgeous, crystalline purity of sound with an affably warped sense of humor."
âJohn Foyston
The Oregonian

Free Range
Featuring Rick Meyers: banjo, mandolin, autoharp, musical saw, square dance calling; Kevin Shay Johnson: guitar, vocals, harmonica. Playing a lively mix of ragtime, old-time, swing-jazz, country blues and original tunes, Free Range is a hit at dances, parties and farmers' markets throughout the Northwest.


DISCOGRAPHY:

Some Day Fly Away
Kevin Shay Johnson, 2007

Slim's Almanac
Kevin Shay Johnson, 2002

Cascadia Folk Quartet
Cascadia Folk Quartet, 1996

Lucky
The Whammadiddle Dingbats, 1989

Saturday At The Market
The Whammadiddle Dingbats, 1987

An Anachronism In His Own Time
Kevin Shay Johnson, 1984