Red Dirt Unplugged: Singers, Songs and Stories Shining a Spotlight on Heartland Roots Music

by Josh Crutchmer

294 pages, Paperback

Published December 13, 2024

About the author

Josh Crutchmer is the planning editor at The New York Times. Mr. Crutchmer is responsible for the organization of the daily newspaper as well as the look of the final edition of the Times' Sunday front page - and he gets the occasional byline. Prior to joining The Times, he was the assistant managing editor of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland where, among other high-profile events, he oversaw coverage and production of the annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductions. Previously, he has worked at The Chicago Tribune, The Buffalo News, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Omaha World-Herald, The Arizona Republic and The Oklahoman. During the process of writing Red Dirt in 2020, Turnpike Troubadours front man Evan Felker told Crutchmer of his desire to return to performing and of finding sobriety since Turnpike's 2019 hiatus. Felker's interview was excerpted by Rolling Stone, causing a firestorm among Turnpike fans and leading to a series of articles Mr. Crutchmer wrote about the band, including their 2021 announcement of a return to the road and 2022 comeback concert at Cains' Ballroom in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He has a long history in music journalism, even prior to writing Red Dirt. He was tapped to write obituaries for Merle Haggard and George Jones for The Plain Dealer and Nashville City Paper, respectively. 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. More recently, he covered the final live performance of Robert Earl Keen for Rolling Stone and has been the primary journalist chronicling the announcement that Reckless Kelly intends to retire from touring in 2025.