Robbie Fulks (Early Show)

Robbie Fulks is a singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist. His 2017 album Upland Stories earned year’s-best honors from NPR and Rolling Stone and two Grammy nominations, for folk album and American roots song.

Raised across small towns in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Virginia, Fulks learned guitar from his dad and banjo from Earl Scruggs and John Hartford records. He moved to Chicago in 1983, joined Greg Cahill’s Special Consensus Bluegrass Band, taught at Old Town School of Folk Music, and later worked as a staff songwriter in Nashville. His albums Country Love Songs (1996) and South Mouth (1997) helped define 1990s alt-country. His recent work leans acoustic, blending old-time bluegrass with sparse reflections on love and time.

He’s played the Grand Ole Opry, Austin City Limits, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and 30 Rock. His songs have been covered by Sam Bush, Andrew Bird, and Old 97’s, among others. He tours year-round.