Storyteller John McCutcheon in Edmonds on Saturday

Multitalented musician John McCutcheon,brings his storytelling styles to Edmonds Center for the Arts on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

McCutcheon has been performing for 35 years and has recorded almost that many albums. He has seven Grammy nominations and has produced more than 20 lbums for other artists, from traditional fiddlers to contemporary singer-songwriters to educational and documentary works.

He is adept at over a dozen instruments, including the hammer dulcimer, as well as being an engaging storyteller, relating stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Even before graduating summa cum laude from Minnesota's St. John's University, the Wisconsin native traded a college lecture hall for the classroom of the eastern Kentucky coal camps, union halls, country churches and square dance halls, learning his musical craft from the legends of Appalachian music. 

His repertoire includes songs from contemporary writers as well as his own music, which focuses on politically and socially conscious songs. One of his most successful songs, “Christmas in the Trenches,” tells the story of the Christmas truce of 1914.

While McCutcheon considers his music career to be his “hobby,” his commitment to grassroots political organizations has put him on the front lines of many of the issues important to communities and workers.

John McCutcheon performs Saturday, Oct. 13, at the Edmonds Center for the Arts, 410 Fourth Ave. N. Tickets are $20-$30, $15 for youth and available through the ECA box office at (425) 275-9595 or online at www.ec4arts.org.