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Josh Crutchmer

Goodreads Author

Born

Okmulgee, OK, The United States

Website

https://www.backloungepublishing.com

Twitter

jcrutchmer

Genre

Music, Art, Memoir

Member Since

June 2020

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Josh Crutchmer is an author and journalist covering American roots music. He covered the rise to prominence of Cross Canadian Ragweed for The Oklahoman and the band’s final show in 2010 for an entertainment arm of The Chicago Tribune. During the process of writing Red Dirt Unplugged, Crutchmer also chronicled Wyatt Flores’s 2024 rise and struggles in a New York Times profile, and later stumbled upon the news of The Boys From Oklahoma concerts and 2025 Cross Canadian Ragweed reunion — breaking that with an exclusive interview in Rolling Stone and turning the tale into Never Say Never in 2025.

He is best known for his 2020 book, Red Dirt, but his career predates Red Dirt by 20 years. He was tapped to write obituaries for Merle Haggard and Geor ...more

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Combine Editions
Josh Crutchmer’s books

Average rating: 4.34 · 192 ratings · 28 reviews · 13 distinct works • Similar authors

	Red Dirt: Roots Music Born in Oklahoma, Raised in Texas, at Home Anywhere 4.23 avg rating — 132 ratings — published 2020 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Motel Cowboy Show: On the Trail of Mountain Music, from Idaho to Texas, and the Side Roads In Between 4.82 avg rating — 22 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Red Dirt Unplugged: Singers, Songs and Stories Shining a Spotlight on Heartland Roots Music by Josh Crutchmer (Goodreads Author), Cody Canada (foreword), Jason Scott (introduction) 4.20 avg rating — 15 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Never Say Never: Cross Canadian Ragweed, The Boys From Oklahoma, and a Red Dirt Comeback Story for the Ages by Josh Crutchmer (Goodreads Author), Andrea Hancock (Editor), Kaitlin Butts (Preface) 4.89 avg rating — 9 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Almost Almost Famous: The Tall Tales Behind the Stories from a Lifetime Spent Chasing Roots Music really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 6 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Motel Cowboy Show: 4.67 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Red Dirt Unplugged: Singers, Songs and Stories Shining a Spotlight on Heartland Roots Music 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Never Say Never: Cross Canadian Ragweed, The Boys From Oklahoma, and a Red Dirt Comeback Story for the Ages 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Never Say Never: Cross Canadian Ragweed, The Boys From Oklahoma, and a Red Dirt Comeback Story for the Ages it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Red Dirt: Roots Music Born in Oklahoma, Raised in Texas, At Home Anywhere by Josh Crutchmer (Goodreads Author), Virtual Voice (Narrator) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by Josh Crutchmer (?)

“There is exactly enough of me that is aware of that to make me into someone vaguely normal. Like a guy who takes the trash out and buys replacement hand mixes parts online and usually does not show up to work hungover anymore. The part of me who knows this is how I have to be is always in conflict. He is in conflict with the bigger, stronger, louder part of me who does nothing but hover over the normal me, 24/7, reminding me that I could be at a Red Dirt concert somewhere at that exact moment.”
― Josh Crutchmer, Red Dirt: Roots Music Born in Oklahoma, Raised in Texas, at Home Anywhere

tags: country-music, red-dirt-music

1 likes

“Within the last few years, I personally have been hearing this phrase a lot: 'Shut up and sing,'" {Brad] Piccolo [of the Red Dirt Rangers] said. "In other words, 'We don't want to hear a musician talk about politics.' Well, for me, the response is, 'Fuck you.”
― Josh Crutchmer, Red Dirt: Roots Music Born in Oklahoma, Raised in Texas, at Home Anywhere

tags: country-music, red-dirt-music

0 likes

“To quote Reckless Kelly: 'White picket fences look a lot like iron bars and a pink house with shutters reminds me of old gray walls.' Chasing Red Dirt music around the world does not. It feels normal and natural, almost as if it is where I am supposed to be and what I should be doing.”
― Josh Crutchmer, Red Dirt: Roots Music Born in Oklahoma, Raised in Texas, at Home Anywhere