John Paul White

John Paul White had already spent many years flying under the radar in Nashville as a solo artist and industry songwriter when he and Joy Williams formed Americana duo the Civil Wars and struck gold with their 2012 debut, Barton Hollow. After four Grammy Awards, White went on his own again, setting the table for his 2016 solo effort Beulah on his Single Lock label, and spent the next few years in the producer’s role with artists ranging from Lindi Ortega and Donnie Fritts to Penny & Sparrow and Dylan LeBlanc.

Now, with his next solo album, The Hurting Kind, John Paul White has crafted a stunning album that draws on the lush, orchestrated music made in Nashville in the early 1960s. Yet these songs retain a modern feel, whether he’s writing about overwhelming love, unraveling relationships, or the fading memory of a loved one. White grew up in tiny Loretto, Tennessee, and now lives in Florence, Alabama, not far from Muscle Shoals. He has cultivated his career in Nashville for two decades, first as a songwriter for a major publisher, then as half of the aforementioned The Civil Wars. Because The Civil Wars were so hard to categorize, White has earned a fan base among indie rock listeners, folk audiences, Americana outlets, and AAA radio. So, what will happen if people hear The Hurting Kind and call it country? “Well, that doesn’t scare me in the least,” he says. “As a matter of fact, it kind of thrills me.”