Josh Goforth

From North Carolina, Josh Goforth grabbed onto his musical and storytelling heritage when he was young and created a career that includes teaching at the Academy for the Arts in Asheville and performing worldwide. From a musical and church family, Josh played piano at the church when he was four. Later, one of his great-uncles gave him a guitar, and he began attending a weekly local jam session. Through his teen years, he learned from several local North Carolina masters of storytelling and music. 

At college in Tennessee, he studied music education with a concentration on the euphonium and participated in East Tennessee State's bluegrass and country music program. As a result, he plays more than 15 instruments, sings, and tells stories that engage the audience. Many of his stories have roots in his family history. Ancestors on both sides of his family tree moved to Madison County in the late 1700s and his elders passed down stories they had been told. Josh likes to tell audiences that he knew six of his eight great-grandparents and he often tells stories about their lives.

Josh has toured in all 50 states, and worldwide from Asia to Australia. He's performed at the Grand Ole Opry, Carnegie Hall, and Lincoln Center. He toured with Lorraine Jordan and Carolina Road, and earned a Grammy nomination with David Holt for their album Cutting Loose, which is described on the cover as "A two-man tornado of tunes and tales."