For over 50 years, singer, songwriter, and award-winning multi-instrumentalist Jack Hinshelwood has entertained audiences with a broad swath of traditional and Americana music on guitar, fiddle, harmonica, and vocals.
Jack is a winner of the Knoxville World’s Fair Guitar Championship, the Wayne Henderson Guitar Championship, and a two-time winner of the prestigious Galax Old Fiddler’s Convention guitar contest. His most recent recording, 50 Years in the Making, is a two-volume anthology of old time, bluegrass, and blues music featuring fellow artists such as Doyle Lawson, Phil Wiggins, Dom Flemons, Michael Cleveland, Dori Freeman and many others.
From 2022 to 2024 Jack co-produced and performed with DOC AT 100, a touring concert program celebrating the music and legacy of North Carolina folk musician Doc Watson. DOC AT 100 featured Jack along with Doc’s former touring partners T. Michael Coleman and Jack Lawrence, celebrated luthier and guitarist Wayne Henderson, and Appalachian music scholar Dr. Ted Olson. DOC AT 100 was nominated for “Event of the Year” by the International Bluegrass Music Association in 2023.
Jack performed for over 20 years with Celtibillies, a 4-member Virginia Commission for the Arts touring artist. The group played and recorded a mixture of Celtic and Appalachian music and entertained thousands of visitors at the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Sing Out! Magazine called Celtibillies “A band of great imagination and versatility.”
Jack and New York Times Best Selling Author Sharyn McCrumb have presented their collaborative program called Words & Music across the US and in Canada featuring the Appalachian songs that are integral to Sharyn’s ballad series novels.
From 2010 to 2019, Jack served as executive director of The Crooked Road: Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, presenting festivals and promoting the rich heritage music of the 19-county region of Southwest Virginia.
Jack learned music of the Appalachian region from some of its most gifted tradition bearers, including banjoist Olen Gardner, fiddler Buddy Pendleton, and guitarist Wayne Henderson. Jack also worked and performed with Bill Monroe fiddler Billy Baker, including a week of instruction at Fiddle Tunes camp in Port Townsend, Washington.
In 2024, Jack was honored as one of five recipients of the Arts Achievement Award from the Arts Alliance Mountain Empire, an arts organization recognizing living individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the arts in East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.
“A fine quick-picker with a warm, welcoming voice.” – Bluegrass Unlimited
CONCERT DESCRIPTION:
Jack Hinshelwood concerts are a guided tour across the American musical landscape, from centuries old ballads to modern popular music, from Stephen Foster and Fats Waller to Burt Bacharach, Doc Watson, and Bob Dylan. On guitar, fiddle, and harmonica, and with roots in the traditional music of the Appalachians, Jack delves deep into a rich tapestry of songs and instrumentals from bluegrass, old time, Celtic, blues, western swing, and many more sources.
Jack Hinshelwood Music 