John Henry is a rock-and-roll lifer. As a mainstay of the St. Louis music scene, Henry is the talent booker for Off Broadway, one of St. Louis’s top music venues, and he founded and manages the annual Open Highway Music Festival, which recently celebrated its 10th year as one of the city’s marquee live-music events. Music fans in the Midwest know him best as the hard-touring, guitar-slinging singer-songwriter, first as the frontman for John Henry and the Engine and now leading his stellar new band of St. Louis all-stars. All along, John has toured or shared the stage with Jason Isbell, Dwight Yoakam, Nathaniel Rateliff, and countless others, earning critical raves for his songwriting, record-making, and galvanizing live performances.
Now married with two kids (and a third on the way), Henry’s commitment to life as a working musician has drawn on the deeper inspiration of the grace and beauty of his children and the compassion he feels for his community. Those influences have helped Henry craft the new Out at Sea, recorded with a first-rate band composed of the Bottle Rockets’ John Horton (lead guitar), El Monstero’s Jack Elking (keys), Tony Barbata (drums), Bryan Hoskins (guitar), and Kevin Bachmann...
John Henry is a rock-and-roll lifer. As a mainstay of the St. Louis music scene, Henry is the talent booker for Off Broadway, one of St. Louis’s top music venues, and he founded and manages the annual Open Highway Music Festival, which recently celebrated its 10th year as one of the city’s marquee live-music events. Music fans in the Midwest know him best as the hard-touring, guitar-slinging singer-songwriter, first as the frontman for John Henry and the Engine and now leading his stellar new band of St. Louis all-stars. All along, John has toured or shared the stage with Jason Isbell, Dwight Yoakam, Nathaniel Rateliff, and countless others, earning critical raves for his songwriting, record-making, and galvanizing live performances.
Now married with two kids (and a third on the way), Henry’s commitment to life as a working musician has drawn on the deeper inspiration of the grace and beauty of his children and the compassion he feels for his community. Those influences have helped Henry craft the new Out at Sea, recorded with a first-rate band composed of the Bottle Rockets’ John Horton (lead guitar), El Monstero’s Jack Elking (keys), Tony Barbata (drums), Bryan Hoskins (guitar), and Kevin Bachmann (bass). “Ultimately, I am trying to be the best and most honest version of myself,” Henry says of the new record. “Lyrically I wanted to say exactly what I was feeling in the most efficient way possible while tackling heavy topics set to melodies that weren’t afraid to be pretty.” The result is the most personal and passionate music of Henry’s career, one that speaks to the harsh realities of the current national scene but that also reflects the renegade musical spirit of a great American roots rocker.
