We’ve all heard of guitar gods whose rock careers took off when they dropped out of school, formed a band and hit the road. But JD McPherson’s “school...
We’ve all heard of guitar gods whose rock careers took off when they dropped out of school, formed a band and hit the road. But JD McPherson’s “school dropout” story has a twist: the Oklahoma native was a dedicated art teacher—until his contract wasn’t renewed.
“I was a really good teacher, I was great with the kids, but I’m really, truly a terrible employee,” says McPherson, who’s been in bands since he was 16. “I can’t wallow in the mire of administrivia, can’t keep paperwork, can’t keep up with the political game. It was gonna happen sooner or later.”
But McPherson—who’s now based in happenin’ East Nashville, Tennessee—isn’t complaining. With his old day job safely out of the picture, he’s become one of the true stars of a burgeoning international rock and roll scene. And yes, that’s rock with the “and roll” still attached—as in vintage-leaning, uber-rootsy, lean, mean and damn fun.
His third album, Undivided Heart & Soul (out October 6 via New West Records[1]), shows that the singer-guitarist-songwriter draws from a much larger pool of influences than the Buddy Holly/Sonny Curtis recordings that turned him on to vintage rock and fueled his earlier work.
“People might be surprised at my perception of what rock and roll is, the fact that it didn’t end after three years of its inception,” McPherson says. “I love rock and roll all the way through Rockpile, through T. Rex and the Stooges. All those things are fair game to soak up into what we do.”
Undivided Heart & Soul shows those influences and more, including Link Wray’s greasy chords, Dave Davies’ spasmodic crunch and a touch of the Creation. The 11-song set was produced by McPherson and Dan Molad and recorded at Nashville’s Historic RCA Studio B