Detail: Shelton seems at home in the quiet woods, at ease with the green, silent moments, smoking a hand-rolled cigarette. Shelton breathes a certain air, moving and talking gently, like a Southern gentleman. And his laid-back attitude hints of his music -- poetic Folk driven by the feel of vast land, deep roots and spacious, curious love.
Originally from a small town in South Carolina, Shelton says, "I grew up in a swampy, rural area, a five-stoplight county." Drawn to Simon and Garfunkel early on, Shelton dreamed of artistry, drawing comics and taking guitar lessons from Jim Ashley, "a withdrawn, misfit kind of guy. I've known a lot of amazingly talented people who are too hard on themselves." Ashley shaped Shelton's future by introducing him to legendary Blues songsters such as Mississippi John Hurt and Robert Johnson.
In 2005, interest in Zimbabwean music led him to another passion altogether. Shelton plays the shekere (African percussive instrument) and the mbira (African thumb piano) with the Image Afro-beat Band. Another side project involved collaboration with local duo The Sheds, as Shelton played kalimba (modern mbira) and sang on a couple of their releases.
One of his greatest influences is Visionaries and Voices, a local non-profit art studio/gallery created for individuals with disabilities. He and other area musicians each selected a Visionaries artist's work, writing related songs for Sound and Visionnati, a compilation CD released in conjunction with the Visionnati Festival.
Genre:
Folk/Traditional
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