John McCutcheon and Tom Paxton

Together Again

Appalseed Records

In early August of 2021, John McCutcheon reached out to his longtime friend Tom Paxton with a simple idea: why not use Zoom to connect, ease the isolation of COVID, and write a few songs together? The weekly sessions soon became a ritual, and neither man could have predicted the creative flood that followed. Their first collaboration, 2023’s Together, topped the folk charts and earned glowing reviews. Those fourteen tracks represented only a fraction of the nearly two hundred songs born from their meetings.

John McCutcheon was born in August of 1952 and is an American folk singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who has produced 45 albums since the 1970s. He is proficient on hammered dulcimer, guitar, banjo, autoharp, fiddle, and jaw harp, and has received six Grammy Award nominations. In his twenties, McCutcheon traveled to Appalachia and learned from the legendary Roscoe Holcomb. In the early 1980s, he became a father and released the children’s album Howjadoo. Its popularity led to seven additional children’s albums. Despite this success, McCutcheon has continued to focus on politically and socially conscious songwriting for adult audiences. One of his most well-known songs, “Christmas in the Trenches,” tells the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914. Known as a gifted storyteller, he has made multiple appearances at the National Storytelling Festival in Tennessee. He is married to children’s author Carmen Agra Deedy, and the two live in Georgia.

Thomas Richard Paxton, born in October of 1937, is an American folk singer-songwriter whose career spans more than sixty years. In 2009, Paxton received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. A passionate music educator, he has long encouraged folk singers to blend traditional material with new compositions. His best-known songs include “The Last Thing on My Mind,” “Bottle of Wine,” “The Marvelous Toy,” and “Ramblin’ Boy.” His work has been recorded by Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, The Weavers, Judy Collins, Sandy Denny, Joan Baez, Doc Watson, Harry Belafonte, Peter, Paul and Mary, Marianne Faithfull, The Seekers, The Kingston Trio, The Chad Mitchell Trio, John Denver, Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Flatt and Scruggs, and many others. While attending the University of Oklahoma, Paxton studied dramatic acting and discovered the music of Woody Guthrie and The Weavers. Guthrie became his greatest influence, and Paxton soon joined a group called The Travellers, singing in off-campus coffeehouses. He auditioned for The Chad Mitchell Trio but instead became the first songwriter signed to their publishing company. His song “The Marvelous Toy” became the first composition recorded by the trio.

Now comes Together Again, another fourteen-song collection from two of the most revered songwriters in acoustic music. Both McCutcheon and Paxton remain at the height of their creative powers, although Paxton has retired from touring. The album opens with “The Future,” inspired by Paxton’s many appearances at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. Recalling performances by Alison Krauss and Molly Tuttle, the song feels like a graceful passing of the torch. Throughout the album, the songs reflect memory and meaning, including “Old Dog,” “Artie’s Last Stand,” “Rebel Gal,” the heartfelt Pete Seeger tribute “Pathfinder,” and the baseball tale “Famous for a Day.”

The ensemble features McCutcheon on guitar, banjo, and vocals; Paxton on vocals; Jon Carroll on piano, organ, and accordion; Stuart Duncan on fiddle; Steve Hinson on steel guitar; J.T. Brown on bass; and Steve Fidyk on drums.

“The Future” opens the album with a song that moves forward and backward in time simultaneously as McCutcheon and Paxton sing, “I saw the future yesterday on a small Kansas stage… she was playing like the devil and singing like a bird, it was just about the finest thing that I had ever heard.” The song reflects on youthful inspiration and the cycle of learning from those who came before.

On “Old Dog,” the duo delivers a deeply emotional reflection on loyalty and aging, telling the story of a faithful companion named Obray and drawing parallels to their own passage of time. The song quietly acknowledges loss, love, and gratitude with grace and honesty.

“Artie’s Last Stand” mourns the fading rituals of print journalism as the duo sings, “I love the paper, the feel of the print,” while “Ran Away with the Circus” traces a childhood dream interrupted by the realities of World War II.

“Pathfinder” stands as a tribute to Pete Seeger, while other highlights include “Stop at Nothing,” a stark reflection on school shootings; “Sgt. O’Reilly,” about a police officer who shelters children; and the wry “Cheatin’ While I’m Eatin’,” a humorous take on temptation and restraint. “Rebel Gal” explores wartime aviation and survival, hoping simply to make it home alive.

“Last Man Sitting” reflects on friendship and loss through memories of Sherwood’s Drugstore in 1942, where once-full soda fountain stools now sit empty. “Every Monday at Two” turns inward, documenting the songwriting sessions themselves as “the world rolls along.” “Famous for a Day” recounts the story of baseball pitcher Ron Necciai, who struck out all 27 batters in a single game in 1952. “We Know How This Ends” looks at enduring relationships with honesty and acceptance.

The album closes with “Lay This Old Guitar Down,” where Paxton reflects on a lifetime of music and the decision to step away, singing, “This is a young man’s game. I’m not a young man anymore… I’m gonna lay this good old guitar down.”

Together Again is proof of the deep well these two songwriters continue to draw from. These are songs shaped by decades of life, love, and music, and it is a gift to find them working side by side once more—together again.

Richard Ludmerer

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