John Kruth

John Kruth is a singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist best known for his highly energetic "Banshee Mandolin” style of playing. He has also worked as a music journalist and has authored several book about popular music. He is also proficient on guitar, banjo, harmonica and various flutes. Kruth is co-founder and the main songwriter of New York-based world music ensemble TriBeCaStan, and also a music journalist and author.

Kruth's first biography, Bright Moments – The Life and Legacy of Rahsaan Roland Kirk was first published in the U.S. and England in 2000 by Welcome Rain Books. Bright Moments was translated into Japanese and published by Kawade Shobō Shinsha in 2005. His most recent biography is Rhapsody in Black – The Life and Music of Roy Orbison from Hal Leonard Books, NYC. He is also the author of To Live’s To Fly – the Ballad of Townes Van Zandt, was published by Da Capo Books in March 2007, winner of 2008 Deems Taylor ASCAP Award for Best Musical Biography.

Kruth has twelve solo albums to his credit. His CD Splitsville was released in the fall of 2008 by Smiling Fez Records. In November 1997 Kruth performed at Carnegie Hall as a soloist for composer John Corigliano on the Moroccan folk oboe called the ghaita, commonly played by the Master Musicians of Jajouka. Besides leading the New York-based world music ensemble TriBeCaStan, Kruth has also performed with playwright Sam Shepard, poet Allen Ginsberg, Patti Smith, performance artist Laurie Anderson, producer Hal Willner, folksinger John Prine, as well as Violent Femmes, the Meat Puppets, King Missile, Peter Stampfel, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson, James Belushi, Steve Buscemi, Eric von Schmidt, Stan Ridgeway, Bob Neuwirth, Die Kreuzen, Cyberchump and members of Camper Van Beethoven.

In 2006, he traveled to India where he studied mandolin and performed with Carnatic mandolin virtuoso U. Rajesh.

Kruth is currently a professor of music at the College of Mount St. Vincent. In the past, his writing has appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Progressive, Frets, and Signal to Noise. He is currently a regular contributor to Rave (India), Sing Out!, Wax Poetics and Fretboard Journal. He spent much of his early career in Milwaukee, but now lives in New York City.