Kingston, Mass. — Plymouth songwriter and musician Michael Shea will present “The Rise of the Singer/Songwriter in American Music: From Bob Dylan to Joni Mitchell to Billy Joel” on Tuesday, October 14 at 6p.m. at the Kingston Council on Aging (30 Evergreen St., Kingston, MA).
Accompanying himself on acoustic guitar, Shea will trace the development of the unique self-contained performer (lyricist, composer, singer and instrumentalist) in American popular music from 1952 through the present. This phenomenon grew out of Folk Revival of the 1960s, developed beside and against all other genres while continuing to flourish for decades. Lyrics influenced by poetry, structures borrowed from folk, country, blues, and traditional music accompanied with vocals, subjects and themes that reflected a more personal and intimate (sometimes autobiographical) vision or experience together are characteristics that distinguished the movement.
The 75-minute set will be comprised of songs that include many of the following well-known artists including Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Greg Allman, Bonnie Raitt, Jim Croce, Jackson Browne, Billy Joel and many others. Preluding each piece will be biographical facts and anecdotes about the artists and their songs.
Shea is a professional guitarist, singer, and songwriter who has performed for four decades at numerous venues, such as Bridgewater State University, the Blackthorn Tavern, the South Shore Folk Music Club, the Spire Center for the Performing Arts, and the annual Falmouth Arts Alive Festival. Most recently, he was half of the successful duo Lewis and Shea that performed “Songs and Stories of the American Folk Revival” at local senior centers and libraries on the South Shore during the spring of 2024.
This program is sponsored in part by a grant from the Kingston Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
To register for this event, please visit – https://kingstonpubliclibrary.org. For more information, you can contact Steven Miller, Reference Librarian at (781) 585-0517 x6272 or at smiller@kingstonma.gov.