North Carolina musician and songwriter John Westmoreland is an eclectic artist. Growing up in the piedmont he came from a musical family and began playing guitar at the age of 12. He was steeped in folk, rock and blues as a teenager, and went on to study jazz and classical composition at Berklee College of Music. For 8 years he’s been the lead guitarist of the West African Fusion band Diali Cissokho & Kaira Ba, and this April he's releasing his debut album of original songs, "Cast Fire” which can also be heard on the soundtrack of the award winning documentary “Staring Down Fate.”

A professional musician and teacher who’s performed nationally and internationally, John's guitar playing is masterful on both the electric and nylon string guitar. His voice is a deep baritone and his songwriting weaves together elements of Americana, folk, world, jazz, and blues into an evocative tapestry of sound. In addition to performing original songs, John is also working on a research and recording project based on the music and poetry of his ancestor, T-bone Slim- a mysterious hobo songwriter and poet who was a legendary figure in the labor movement.