Singer-songwriter David Mallett to perform an acoustic set with guitar and harmonica
Mallett, a Maine-based artist whose career spans nearly 40 years, will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, May 4, in North Central College’s theatre at Meiley-Swallow Hall, 31 S. Ellsworth St. Tickets are $25; call the North Central College Box Office at 630-637-SHOW (7469) or visit northcentralcollege.edu/showtix.
Mallett also will be the first folk singer to serve as an artist-in-residence at North Central College. The College has hosted many other musicians and visual artists-in-residence who have conducted master’s classes with students and provided direction for performances, including Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky who served as composer-in-residence at the College in 2011.
With a career that spans several decades, Mallett is best known for writing the popular American folk tune “The Garden Song,” which has been recorded more than 150 times, translated into several languages and covered by artists such as John Denver and the Muppets. He has performed around the world and has regularly toured in folk clubs, concert halls and festivals for more than 30 years.
In 2009, Mallett released his most recent album “Alright Now” and has received much praise from critics. The Boston Globe called it “a masterpiece … an exquisite, ennobling record, made by a terrific craftsman.”
Mallett began performing at age 11 in a country and folk duo with his older brother Neil, playing folk classics and songs on the radio. Later as a student at the University of Maine, Mallett began writing his own songs, having been inspired by singer-songwriters such as Gordon Lightfoot and Bob Dylan in addition to the students around him.
“Up until that point, I thought of myself as a singer,” he said. “In college, everybody who was singing also wrote. I realized that was what I wanted to do. I was a theater major. I felt short-changed that I had to speak someone else’s words.”
Mallett also received mentorship in music early in his career from Paul Stookey of folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary. In the millennium edition of The Bangor Daily News, Malett was named one of the most memborable Mainers of the 20th century alongside a group that included Stephen King, Andrew Wyeth and E.B. White. Visit davidmallett.com to learn more.
USG Corporation and Navistar, Inc. are underwriting sponsors of North Central College’s 2011-2012 Sesquicentennial Fine & Performing Arts Season. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. This performance is one of many ongoing programs at North Central College to enrich and broaden the cultural and academic outlook for the College and community. North Central offers a variety of venues accommodating a rich range of local and world-class events, performances and space needs for the public. For a comprehensive schedule of musical performances, theatrical and dance productions, art exhibits and lectures, visit northcentralcollege.edu/show or call the box office at 630-637-SHOW (7469).
