James McMurtry

On 18 October 2026 James McMurtry will appear at SPOT/De Oosterpoort in Groningen. The Texas songwriter, born in Fort Worth and partly raised in Virginia, has spent decades writing stories that evoke highways, small towns and the cracks in everyday life. His music moves between roots rock, folk rock, alt‑country and Americana: spare guitar, a tight groove, a voice that often leans toward a parlando delivery, with the lyrics at the centre.

McMurtry first came to attention in 1987 at the New Folk competition of the Kerrville Folk Festival and released his debut Too Long in the Wasteland in 1989, co‑produced by John Mellencamp. He went on to release, among others, Candyland, Where’d You Hide the Body, Childish Things, Just Us Kids, Complicated Game and The Horses and the Hounds (2021). Live he keeps things compact, in a small lineup, so the stories remain sharp and every detail can breathe. His songs are full of characters passing through, skewed relationships and sure‑footed observations, rooted in the American South and West. On stage in Groningen he draws from more than three decades of songs, placing new and old effortlessly side by side, with the story always up front.