Jonathan Byrd

Jonathan Byrd – photo Laura Schneider

Jonathan Byrd

Hillsborough, NC

Jonathan Byrd is a Southern Baptist preacher’s son, a Gulf War veteran, and an award-winning songwriter from Hillsborough, North Carolina. A cult-favorite songwriter and creativity coach known for reworking the roots of American music into ballads that border on literature. 

Born on Friday the 13th of November 1970, Byrd is a seventh-generation native of North Carolina. For over twenty years, Jonathan made his living writing, recording, publishing, and licensing his own songs. He’s won awards including the Kerrville New Folk award in 2003 and been covered by great artists like Sam Bush, Larry Keel, and Red Molly. After a 20-year music career, Jonathan is a songwriting teacher while pursuing a physics degree. 

Jonathan Byrd will give you hell-raising singalongs, tear-jerking ballads, and captivating stories. 

“One of the top 50 songwriters of the last 50 years. ” — Chicago Tribune

“…a folk singer with the heart of a rock ‘n’ roll band.” — K. Oliver, Free Times.