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John Francis is an American singer-songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. His songwriting has won him acclaim from ASCAP, as the recipient of the Sammy Cahn lyricist award in 2006, and the Jay Gorney award for socially conscious lyrics in 2010.

Career
John Francis was born on December 9th, 1977 and raised in Warwick Township, Pennsylvania. The son of musicians and ministers, John Francis grew up playing music with his parents in church. At 12, Francis started writing, recording, and performing. He studied Literature and World Religions at Messiah College near Harrisburg, PA. After graduating, Francis toured extensively in the United States and Ireland, garnering many new musical influences.

In October of 2005, Francis independently released his debut album Strong Wine & Spirits, with the single, “Heavy, Heavy Love”. The regional success of the album led to a featured performance on XM radio's ‘Live from the Loft’ in New York City. In 2006, John received the Sammy Cahn Lyricist of the Year Award from ASCAP. Previous winners include John Mayer, Josh Ritter, and Lori McKenna.

The Better Angels is John Francis' sophomore album, released November 9, 2010 on Dualtone. The album was recorded at the Cash Cabin Studio and produced by John Carter Cash. Musicians featured on the album include: Kenny Vaughan (Lucinda Williams, Marty Stuart), Ken Coomer (Uncle Tupelo, Wilco), Michael Rhodes (Sheryl Crowe, J.J. Cale), and Robbie Turner (Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson). The track “People On The Edge Of The World” features vocals by Rachael Yamagata. Francis was awarded the Jay Gorney award for socially conscious lyrics for the song "Who?" featured on The Better Angels.

Live Performance
John Francis performs both as a solo act and with a band. His current band consists of Kenny Vaughan, Dave Roe, and Ken Coomer.

Francis has played upon invitation for the United Nations, as well as across the U.S., Ireland, Germany, and Switzerland. He performed with his band on the main stage of the 2008 Philadelphia Folk Festival, and solo at SXSW, and the WXPN All About the Music Fest. He has shared the stage with Ray Lamontagne, Jeff Tweedy, Amos Lee, M.Ward, Josh Ritter, Suzanne Vega, Rachael Yamagata, Rickie Lee Jones, Andrew Bird, as well as others.

Albums

 * Strong Wine & Spirits (November 4, 2005)
 * The Better Angels (November 9, 2010)

EPs

 * The Philadelphia EP (July 29, 2004)

Singles

 * Heavy, Heavy Love
 * Johnny Cash On The Radio
 * The Beautiful One