Sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Society

About:  

Iowa City’s James Tutson and his 5 siblings were the entirety of the church choir growing up. He was raised singing southern gospel every Sunday in a tiny chapel in front of a 10 person congregation. This heritage of soul music permeates his vocal stylings and anchors his songwriting even as he crafts his current work telling stories of the modern world and his life journey. He is known for emotive/”raw” vocal performances, tight musical arrangements, and resonant songwriting, which has been described as a “gift for exploring the intersection between joy and sorrow”. James’ career has taken him to local backyards, dive bars, theater stages, music festivals, and NBC’s The Voice. James was named one of the 2023 National endowment for the arts, Iowa Fellows and has had the privilege of performing with great artists like Lake Street Dive, The Dip, Marc Broussard, Joanna Connor, Five for Fighting and more. He has recorded six studio albums including his two most recent “Still” and “Happy”, soulful reflections about life during the 2020 global pandemic