Grandson, nephew, and son, respectively, of pioneering folklorists/authors/performers John Avery, Alan Lomax, Bess Lomax Hawes, and John Avery Lomax Jr., John III carries on a family music tradition that began in 1876.
After earning two degrees from UT, John III moved to Nashville in 1973 and has been active as an artist manager of Townes van Zandt, Steve Earle, The Cactus Brothers, and “America’s Dulcimer Champion” David Schnaufer. He has written three books and edited another and has a regular Substack blog, OF AMERICAN ORIGIN.
His magazine work has appeared in publication in the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Australia. In 2022, he began presenting lecture/performances about his family’s work. His debut CD, AMERICAN FOLK SONGS, earned three first round Grammy® nominations, and he made his Grand Ole Opry debut December 5, singing “The Streets of Laredo.”
John Avery and J. Frank Dobie were close friends, so John will talk about that relationship and sing a few of the songs his family has preserved for us all to cherish.
