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John Kruth on Muck Rack

John Kruth

New York
As seen in: Observer, American Songwriter, Wax Poetics, Shepherd Express, pleasekillme.com, The Fretboard Journal, AllMusicBooks
Covers:  Music, Pop Culture, Art, Travel
Doesn't Cover: Politics

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John Kruth’s Biography

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John Kruth is the author of three musical biographies to date including Bright Moments – The Life and Legacy of Rahsaan Roland Kirk (2000 - Welcome Rain), To Live’s To Fly – The Ballad of the Late, Great Townes Van Zandt (recipient of the ASCAP/Deems Taylor Award - 2007 – DaCapo Press), and Rhapsody in Black – The Life & Music of Roy Orbison (2013 – BackBeat/Hal Leonard Books). Music History books include: This Bird Has Flown – The Enduring Beauty of Rubber Soul 50 Years On – a history and anal…

John Kruth’s Journalist Portfolio

Lunacy: The Curious Phenomenon of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon 50 Years On

Lunacy: The Curious Phenomenon of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon 50 Years On

My latest book: Lunacy: The Curious Phenomenon of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon 50 Years On – BackBeat B…

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This Bird Has Flown – The Enduring Beauty of Rubber Soul – 50 Years On

This Bird Has Flown – The Enduring Beauty of Rubber Soul – 50 Years On

This Bird Has Flown – The Enduring Beauty of Rubber Soul – 50 Years On – Published by Hal Leonard/BackBeat B…

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Don Cherry: The Eternal Traveler

Don Cherry: The Eternal Traveler

Cover/Feauture article on the great jazz trumpeter Don Cherry

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Articles

Tribute: James Blood Ulmer (1940-2026)

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By John Kruth
| The Fretboard Journal Verified
Editor’s Note: Jazz, funk and blues guitar legend James “Blood” Ulmer passed away on June 3, 2026 at the age of 86. We profiled Ulmer in a lengthy Fretboard Journal 50 profile penned by contributor John Kruth (with photos by Stan Schnier). To pay tribute, we’re sharing the story here in its entirety. Tuning to Your Head Free language with James “Blood” Ulmer The eldest of nine children, James “Blood” Ulmer was born in 1942 and raised in rural St. Matthews, South Carolina.
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The Molotov Rock of Wayne Kramer

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By John Kruth
| Shepherd Express Verified
Rock and roll and revolution make strange bedfellows. While Elvis, Little Richard and Jerry Lee upset the apple cart of Eisenhower’s hum drum 50s, little had changed socially until Bob Dylan arrived—a rock ‘n’ roller in bumpkin guise, complete with work shirt and Greek fisherman’s cap, lifted from his hero, Okie troubadour Woody Guthrie.
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All Please Kill Me Posts Archives

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By Adam Ganderson, John Kruth, Valerie Simadis, Richie Unterberger
| pleasekillme.com
POLY STYRENE: BREAKING DOWN THE BONDAGE A new documentary film, Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché, clears up some of the mystery around the remarkable biracial woman born Marian Elliott. The film, directed by Paul Sng and Celeste Bell, Poly’s daughter, is also a welcome reminder... All Please Kill Me PostsCool PeopleGirl PowerMusiciansPunkRichie Unterberger WE NEVER LEARN: GUNK PUNK IN THE 1990S Eric Davidson, front man of the Ohio-based New Bomb Turks, is equally adept at rocking, rolling and writing.
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Interview

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What was your first job as a journalist?

Interviewed Richie Havens fro Relix.

Have you ever used a typewriter?

See previous question about tools.

How is social media changing news?

"Nothing is real" - John Lennon

Awards

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ASCAP Deems Taylor Award

2008 - Musical Biography

To Live’s To Fly – The Ballad of the Late, Great Townes Van Zandt (recipient of the ASCAP/Deems Taylor Award - 2007 – DaCapo Press),

ASCAP Deems Taylor/Virgil Tomson Award

2021 - Best Timely Article

2021 – The ASCAP/Deems Taylor/Virgil Tomson Award for Best “Timely Article” Ceremonies Against the Virus – A Conversation with Bachir Attar of the Master Musicians of Jajouka published by Please Kill Me, September 14, 2020.

Runner-Up - Best Music Articles of 2005 – Da Capo Press.

2005 - Musical Biography

2005 – Runner-Up - Best Music Articles of 2004 – Da Capo Press. Townes Van Zandt – The Self-Destructive Hobo Saint Published in Sing Out! Volume 48#2 — Summer ’04