Northwest songslinger and strum-for-hire, Jack Dwyer, has pursued a wide-ranging career as a songwriter, singer, bandleader, multi-instrumentalist side & studio musician, teacher, recording engineer and producer.
Raised in an Alaskan family band, Jack grew up on the stages of various New York City, Hudson Valley, and Pacific Northwest music clubs. Now a veteran performer, he has embraced his far flung roots-music background and found his voice as a multi-talented purveyor of Americana with an uncommonly wide musical vocabulary.
Jack began working as a professional backing musician in his early teens, and has performed at festivals and clubs all over the U.S. with the likes of Peter Rowan, Bill Keith, Darol Anger, Scott Law, Tony Furtado, Caleb Klauder & Reeb Wilms, Jay Ungar and Molly Mason, The Mammals, Don Stiernberg, and others.
Jack grew up harmonizing and picking in a family bluegrass band. As a teenager he studied with banjo pioneer Bill Keith, and noted jazz guitarist Mike DeMicco (of The Brubeck Brothers). In college, Jack studied music theory and creative writing.
At age 20, Jack was hired as an adjunct professor of music at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR, where he served as an adjunct professor for eight years. Jack has also conducted numerous public workshops on songwriting, musicology, and instrumental technique around the country. He has also authored two instructional books for mandolin.
To date, Jack has released eleven full length albums, two EPs, and appeared as a studio musician on many other recordings. His music covers wide a range of styles, from crooning dancehall Americana, rowdy old-time stringband music, introspective finger-picking folk, novelty and comedic songs, experimental new acoustic instrumentals, world folk music, synthesized holiday music, and his unique brand of musical short stories, which he calls “radio music theater.”