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Freedy Johnston

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Freedy Johnston (born 1961) is a New York City-based singer-songwriter originally from Kinsley, Kansas. Johnston’s first album, “The Trouble Tree” was released in 1990, and features the guitar playing of the roots musician and author, David Hamburger. Johnston sold some of his family’s farmland to finance the recording of his second album, Can You Fly (an event he wrote about in a song on that album, “Trying to Tell You I Don’t Know”). Johnston followed up with his 1994 major label debut This Perfect World, which received rave reviews and led to Rolling Stone Magazine naming him “songwriter of the year”. That album also spawned a minor alternative hit with the song “

Bad Reputation”.

Johnston’s songs are often about troubled loners, and cover topics like heartbreak, alienation and disappointment. Known for the craftsmanship of his songs, he has sometimes been called a “songwriter’s songwriter”.

He has contributed songs to the soundtracks for movies including Kingpin and Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead. Johnston and fellow musicians Jay Moran, James “Pie” Cowan, Duke Erikson, and Butch Vig perform occasional shows as a covers band called “The Know-It-All Boyfriends.”

Johnston latest release is a covers album titled “Rain on the City”, It includes selections from Tom Petty, Paul McCartney, Matthew Sweet and The Hollies.

Tagged as:

singer-songwriter, folk, alt-country, indie, americana
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This Perfect World
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Can You Fly
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Never Home
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Blue Days Black Nights
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Top Tracks

1	Bad Reputation full track	155
2	This Perfect World full track	39
3	Gone Like the Water full track	29
4	Evie's Tears full track	28
5	Two Lovers Stop full track	18
6	Can't Sink This Town	11
6	Western Sky full track	11
8	Love Grows	10
8	Tearing Down This Place	10
10	I Can Hear the Laughs	9
10	The Farthest Lights full track	9
10	Cold Again	9
10	Evie's Garden	9
14	In the New Sunshine full track	8
14	Dolores	8

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brzegal wrote:
Friday afternoon

I just love the Evie songs, keen variations of the same theme...great songwriting!

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luv_damusic4201 wrote:
Monday morning

no need to label...just good honest music and thats all that matters. "bad reputation"..too bad i heard it late...better late than never.

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marybeth-damico wrote:
26 days ago

http://www.nodepression.com/profiles/blogs/new-freedy-johnston-due-jan-12

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marybeth-damico wrote:
last month

I like the sound of the new songs on myspace.

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dtito2 wrote:
July 2009

Hey here is a link to some Freedy Johnston videos from Maxwell's/Hoboken and Union Hall/Brooklyn. Thanks to GroveGirl for bringing these to my attention. http://www.youtube.com/user/PattiVill#play/uploads ... thanks to PattiVill for the video.

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dtito2 wrote:
July 2009

I caught his Hoboken show. He performed solo acoustic, treated the audience to few new songs, some early material and a few covers.... thus it was wonderful evening of music! : ) Freedy Johnston @ Maxwell's Hoboken, NJ / July 10, 2009

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marybeth-damico wrote:
May 2009

This guy can't write a bad song. I'm just about 15 years late in discovering him!

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dtito2 wrote:
April 2009

Freedy fans come join the Freedy Johnston group

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dtito2 wrote:
April 2009

Three new songs on his My Space Page ! : ) http://www.myspace.com/freedyjohnstonmusic

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serenamatthews wrote:
April 2009

I can Hear the Laughs just might be the perfect song.

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serenamatthews wrote:
April 2009

Love. love love love love

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Lyrradsemaj wrote:
April 2009

I FEEL LIKE I JUST HIT THE FUCKING JACKPOT DISCOVERING THIS MAN.

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dwiesnoski wrote:
March 2009

The "Can You Fly" album is terrific... The Lucky Once, Can You Fly, The Morticians Daughter, but Responsible stands out for me.

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lhwad wrote:
October 2008

Ol' Freedy really knows what he's talking about

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roomx wrote:
October 2008

great stuff indeed

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pehrlabel wrote:
September 2008

the best male american singer-songwriter out there right now. underrated.

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Trickmyster wrote:
August 2008

completely underated

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total__trash wrote:
April 2008

only 71 thousand plays?! :(

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Jazz13 wrote:
April 2008

so few shouts, shame. he's good. perfect world and bad reputation are classic.

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ldexterldesign wrote:
December 2007

'bad reputation' from the kingpin soundtrack is a classic. however it's not on the ost, so big up everyone who managed to track it down, including me! haha.

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