An intense experience
American singer-songwriter and guitarist James McMurtry has long secured a central place in modern roots and Americana music with his raw, sharply observed storytelling.
His debut album ‘Too Long in the Wasteland’ (1989), produced by John Mellencamp, clearly showcased his gift for small but precise observations and for creating vivid characters - something he inherited from his upbringing as the son of novelist Larry McMurtry.
James McMurtry truly broke through with the critically acclaimed album ‘Childish Things’ (2005), especially the song ‘We Can’t Make It Here’, hailed by many critics as one of the most important protest songs in contemporary American folk music. Since then, he has continued to evolve as a songwriter and has inspired younger artists such as Sarah Jarosz and Jason Isbell.
Both McMurtry’s albums and his live shows are built around real people and places - small towns, the working class, the overlooked voices - whose stories he tells with humour, pain, and respect.
His eleventh album, ‘The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy’ (2025), draws partly on his family’s memories. We meet a sheriff hunting partridges on horseback while hiding a secret family, a mechanic wondering if he can afford to keep his girlfriend, and a troubled man who sees hallucinations of a black dog and a wandering boy - all set against a backdrop of guitars, barroom harmonies, and touches of banjo and harmonica.
At Tønder Festival, James McMurtry will perform with his longtime band, offering audiences an intense experience where lyrics and characters take centre stage.
This will be his only Danish appearance in 2026.
