James McMurtry

James McMurtry brings his storytelling back to Bristol on 9 October 2026 at Bristol Beacon. Drawing from The Black Dog & the Wandering Boy, the Texas-based songwriter leans into the kind of scene-setting he’s honed for decades: small details that sketch whole lives, characters who crack jokes, carry scars, and keep moving. The writing sits over rolling guitars, loose rhythms and those worn-in barroom harmonies, a sound that slips between Americana, folk rock and country without fuss.

Long cited by artists like Jason Isbell and Sarah Jarosz, McMurtry has built a catalog where roads, small towns and daily grit take center stage. Recent years have only sharpened his focus. On stage, he strips the songs to their essentials and lets the narratives lead, the band keeping things unpolished and close to the bone so each verse lands. Expect a set that threads new material with staples from across his career, delivered with the calm intensity of someone who knows exactly where the story needs to go.