I’m a musician, writer, and editor. I’ve done way too many things over the years in publishing and the music business: I’ve written songs since I was a teenager, played with the band Heavy Wood in the San Francisco area, and made two solo records. I was the founding editor of Acoustic Guitar magazine and have interviewed a very long list of great musicians, from Jerry Garcia to Joni Mitchell to Ani DiFranco to Pete Seeger. Wrote three books on music, and edited many more. Reported for NPR’s All Things Considered on everything from a concert hall in Indiana Amish country to a rock band in Bangalore to the new world of online recording. Started a songwriter concert series. Played tabla in a TV commercial in India.

All this has been very much unplanned--one project and medium leading to another--and yet in retrospect all makes sense: it’s all about words and music, combining in ever-changing ways and viewed from countless angles. Hence the name of this website. And of my Words and Music record label. And Words and Music Songwriter Showcase. And so on.

Since you’ve clicked your way here, I suspect we share this passion and curiosity about words and music.

Good to meet you.
JPR

More about my work as a:
Musician | Author | Editor

NEW AT WORDSANDMUSIC.INFO

CDs and downloads available direct from JPR, and from CD Baby, iTunes, Amazon, and other online stores.

Find details of upcoming shows here.

Photos of Pete Seeger on the gallery page, plus photos of JPR in the press room.

Feature on JPR's career as a writer and musician in the Post-Standard. >>>

Web resources for journalists and editors. >>>