Marcus Hummon

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Marcus Hummon

| background = solo_singer

| birth_name = Marcus Spencer Hummon

| birth_place =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|12|28}}

| origin = Washington, DC, U.S.

| instrument = Vocals, guitar, harmonica, mandolin, piano

| genre = Country

| occupation = Singer-songwriter

| years_active = 1994–present

| label = Columbia, Velvet Armadillo

| website = {{URL|https://www.marcushummon.net/}}

}}

Marcus Spencer Hummon (born December 28, 1960) is an American country music singer-songwriter. Notable songs written or co-written by Hummon include "Ready to Run" and "Cowboy Take Me Away", recorded by The Chicks; "Born to Fly", recorded by Sara Evans; "Only Love", recorded by Wynonna Judd; "The Cheap Seats", recorded by Alabama; "Pilgrims on the Way", recorded by Michael Martin Murphey; "One of These Days", recorded by Tim McGraw; "Cornfields or Cadillacs", recorded by Farmer's Daughter; "Love Is the Right Place", recorded by Bryan White; and "Bless the Broken Road", recorded by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band as well as Rascal Flatts. Three of these songs reached number one on the country record charts: "Cowboy Take Me Away", "Born to Fly", and the Rascal Flatts version of "Bless the Broken Road". Hummon has also scored films and written operas and musicals.

Biography

=Early life=

Hummon was born in Washington, D.C. His father worked for the United States Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development and he spent much of his childhood in Africa, Italy, Tanzania, Nigeria, the

Philippines, and Saudi Arabia.{{Cite news | url=https://thesouthwester.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Southwester-August-2022.pdf | title=Grammy Winner Pens Original Songs for Arena Production | first=SHEILA | last=WICKOUSKI | work=The Southwester | date=August 2022}} He sang in church as a child and his first performance as a musician was playing African drums on Nigerian TV. He moved back to the Washington metropolitan area as a junior in high school, living in Potomac, Maryland and Bethesda, Maryland.{{Cite news | url=https://www.washingtoninformer.com/marcus-hummon-talks-frederick-douglass-evolution-of-american-prophet/ | title=Marcus Hummon Talks Frederick Douglass, Evolution of American Prophet | first=Micha | last=Green | work=The Washington Informer | date=May 22, 2023}} His parents were musicians and theatre buffs and exposed him to the arts, regularly attending performances. As a teen, he played in a group with his three sisters. He attended Bullis School, where he played running back and graduated in 1980. He graduated from Williams College in 1984.{{Cite web | url=https://today.williams.edu/stories/a-nashville-cat/ | title=A NASHVILLE CAT | work=Williams College}}

=Career=

Following college, in 1984, he moved to Los Angeles to seek a recording contract but was unsuccessful.{{Cite web | url=https://music.apple.com/us/artist/marcus-hummon/200699 | title=Marcus Hummon | publisher=Apple Music}} In 1986, Hummon moved to Nashville. He played at the Bluebird Café and other clubs. He was eventually signed to a songwriting contract and then a recording contract with Columbia Records. Hummon met Joe Henry, who collaborated with John Denver, and offered to help him write songs.{{Cite news | url=https://americansongwriter.com/marcus-hummon-interview/ | title=Marcus Hummon: Poetic License | first=TINA | last=BENITEZ-EVES | work=American Songwriter | date=June 23, 2021}} The first notable song that he wrote was "Pilgrims on the Way", recorded by Michael Martin Murphey in 1988.{{Cite news | url=https://musicrow.com/2012/08/marcus-hummons-pilgrimage-part-1/ | title=Marcus Hummon's Pilgrimage—Part 1 | work=MusicRow | date=August 7, 2012}}

His debut album All in Good Time (1995) included the song "God's Country", which reached number 73 on the Hot Country Songs record charts.{{Cite web | url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/marcus-hummon/ | title=Marcus Hummon | publisher=Billboard}} It also included "Bless the Broken Road", with backing vocals by co-writer Jeff Hanna and Matraca Berg and "One of These Days". The songs and title of the album reference his Christian faith.{{Cite news | url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1995/12/17/all-in-good-time-2/ | title='All In Good Time' | work=Chicago Tribune | date=December 17, 1995 | url-access=limited}} From 1999 to 2001, Hummon was a member of the alternative country band The Raphaels along with former Big Country lyricist and guitarist Stuart Adamson. The Raphaels' only release was "Supernatural" in 1998 on Track Records.{{Cite news | url=https://americansongwriter.com/trending-watch-grammy-winning-country-music-songwriter-go-incognito-nashville-airport/ | title=Trending: Watch Grammy-Winning Country Music Songwriter Go Incognito at Nashville Airport | first=CLAYTON | last=EDWARDS | work=American Songwriter | date=January 4, 2024}} In 1997, Hummon formed his own label, Velvet Armadillo, on which he released several studio albums.{{Cite news | url=https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2010/05/18/bluebird-on-the-mountain-series-launches-sixth-season-may-22-115939/ | title=Bluebird on the Mountain series launches sixth season May 22 | work=Vanderbilt University | date=May 18, 2010}}

In 1998, "Bless the Broken Road" was recorded by Melodie Crittenden; this version charted on the Hot Country Songs record chart. In 2006, "Bless the Broken Road" was recorded by Rascal Flatts; this version won a Grammy Award for Best Country Song. Also in 2006, Selah recorded the song and it charted on the Hot Christian Songs chart.

In 2009, Hummon's first book, Anytime, Anywhere: A Little Boy’s Prayer, a children's book, was published by Simon & Schuster.

Hummon wrote Surrender Road, an opera staged by The Nashville Opera Company in 2005. Another opera, Favorite Son, produced with the Nashville Opera in February 2022, featuring Darrel Scott and John Riesen was nominated for a Regional Emmy for musical composition.{{cite web|url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/life/entertainment/2022/01/20/nashville-opera-debuts-favorite-son-marcus-hummon/6569951001/|title=Nashville Opera to debut distinctly American 'Favorite Son' by Marcus Hummon|publisher=The Tennessean|date=January 20, 2022|accessdate=July 1, 2024}}

Hummon also wrote six musicals, three of which were featured as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival in 2005, 2006 and 2011. His musical American Prophet, about the life of Frederick Douglass, co-written with Charles Randolph-Wright, premiered at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. in August 2022 and won the Edgerton Award that year.{{Cite news | url=https://wtop.com/entertainment/2022/08/bless-the-broken-road-that-led-marcus-hummon-to-american-prophet-at-arena-stage/ | title=Bless the Broken Road that led Marcus Hummon to American Prophet at Arena Stage | first=Jason | last=Fraley | work=WTOP-FM | date=August 17, 2022}}

In 2012 and 2014, Hummon performed at the Greenbelt Festival.{{Cite web | url=https://www.greenbelt.org.uk/artists/marcus-hummon/ | title=MARCUS HUMMON | work=Greenbelt Festival}}

In August 2014, he signed a publishing deal with CTM Writers INK.{{Cite news | url=https://musicrow.com/2014/08/ctm-writers-ink-signs-marcus-hummon/ | title=CTM Writers INK Signs Marcus Hummon | first=Jessica | last=Nicholson | work=MusicRow | date=August 7, 2014}}

Hummon has scored two films: Lost Boy Home and The Last Songwriter, a documentary that he co-produced featuring Garth Brooks and Jason Isbell, which won the Audience Award at the Nashville Film Festival in 2017.

In 2019, Hummon was inducted to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.{{Cite web | url=https://nashvillesongwritersfoundation.com/Site/inductee?entry_id=7096 | title=Marcus Hummon | publisher=Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame}}

In March 2020, he signed a publishing deal with LBK Entertainment.{{Cite magazine | url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/marcus-hummon-signs-publishing-deal-lbk-entertainment-exclusive/ | title=Marcus Hummon Signs Publishing Deal With LBK Entertainment: Exclusive | first=ANNIE | last=REUTER | magazine=Billboard | date=March 26, 2020 | url-access=subscription}}{{Cite news | url=https://musicrow.com/2020/03/marcus-hummon-signs-with-lbk-entertainment/ | title=Marcus Hummon Signs With LBK Entertainment | first=Lorie | last=Hollabaugh | work=MusicRow | date=March 26, 2020}}

Personal life

Hummon is married to Reverend Becca Stevens, an Episcopal priest and chaplain, speaker, and author of eight books. They have 3 children, including country singer Levi Hummon and live in Nashville.{{Cite web | url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/champions/working-to-end-domestic-violence/becca-stevens | title=Becca Stevens | publisher=The White House}}

List of singles composed by Marcus Hummon

Songs written by Hummon that were recorded by other notable artists include:{{Cite web | url=https://pacnyc.org/bio/marcus-hummon/ | title=Marcus Hummon | publisher=Perelman Performing Arts Center}}

Michael Martin Murphey - "Pilgrims on the Way" (1988)
Wynonna Judd – "Only Love" (1993)
Hal Ketchum – "Every Little Word" (1994)
Western Flyer – "Friday Night Stampede" (1994)
Alabama – "The Cheap Seats" (1994)
Suzy Bogguss – "No Way Out" (1996)
Farmer's Daughter - "Cornfields or Cadillacs" (1996)
Bryan White – "Love Is the Right Place" (1997)
Tim McGraw – "One of These Days" (1998)
Steve Wariner – "Road Trippin'" (1998)
Dixie Chicks – "Ready to Run" (1999), "Cowboy Take Me Away" (1999)
Sara Evans – "Born to Fly" (2000)
Chely Wright – "Jezebel" (2001)
Sherrié Austin - "In Our Own Sweet Time" (2001)
SHeDAISY – "Get Over Yourself" (2002)
Lauren Lucas – "What You Ain't Gonna Get" (2005)
Ty Herndon - "Love Revival" (2006)
One Flew South – "My Kind of Beautiful" (2008)
Jessica Harp - "Follow That Train" (2010)
the JaneDear girls - "Never Gonna Let You Go" (2011)
Danny Gokey - "One Life" (2014)
Joel Crouse - "Oh Juliet" (2014)
Runaway June - "Blue Roses" (2019)

Discography

=Albums=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
style="width:18em;"\| Title ! style="width:20em;"\| Album details
scope="row"\| All in Good Time \| Release date: September 5, 1995 Label: Columbia Records
scope="row"\| The Sound of One Fan Clapping \| Release date: April 4, 1997 Label: Velvet Armadillo Records
scope="row"\| Looking for the Child \| Release date: August 20, 1999 Label: Velvet Armadillo Records
scope="row"\| Francis of Guernica \| Release date: March 19, 2001 Label: Velvet Armadillo Records
scope="row"\| Warrior \| Release date: September 25, 2001 Label: Velvet Armadillo Records
scope="row"\| American Duet \| Release date: January 15, 2003 Label: Velvet Armadillo Records
scope="row"\| Revolution EP \| Release date: October 15, 2003 Label: Velvet Armadillo Records
scope="row"\| Atlanta \| Release date: March 1, 2005 Label: Velvet Armadillo Records
scope="row"\| Nowhere to Go but Up \| Release date: April 27, 2005 Label: Velvet Armadillo Records
scope="row"\| Surrender Road \| Release date: December 21, 2005 Label: Velvet Armadllo Records
scope="row"\| Rosanna \| Release date: May 1, 2010 Label: self-released

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

style="width:18em;"| Title

! style="width:20em;"| Album details

scope="row"| All in Good Time

Release date: September 5, 1995
Label: Columbia Records

scope="row"| The Sound of One Fan Clapping

Release date: April 4, 1997
Label: Velvet Armadillo Records

scope="row"| Looking for the Child

Release date: August 20, 1999
Label: Velvet Armadillo Records

scope="row"| Francis of Guernica

Release date: March 19, 2001
Label: Velvet Armadillo Records

scope="row"| Warrior

Release date: September 25, 2001
Label: Velvet Armadillo Records

scope="row"| American Duet

Release date: January 15, 2003
Label: Velvet Armadillo Records

scope="row"| Revolution EP

Release date: October 15, 2003
Label: Velvet Armadillo Records

scope="row"| Atlanta

Release date: March 1, 2005
Label: Velvet Armadillo Records

scope="row"| Nowhere to Go but Up

Release date: April 27, 2005
Label: Velvet Armadillo Records

scope="row"| Surrender Road

Release date: December 21, 2005
Label: Velvet Armadllo Records

scope="row"| Rosanna

Release date: May 1, 2010
Label: self-released

=Singles=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
rowspan="2"\| Year ! rowspan="2" style="width:14em;"\| Single ! colspan="1"\| Peak positions ! rowspan="2"\| Album
style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="65"\| US Country
rowspan="2"\| 1996 ! scope="row"\| "God's Country" \| 73 \| align="left" rowspan="2"\| All in Good Time
scope="row"\| "Honky Tonk Mona Lisa" \| —
2005 ! scope="row"\| "Revolution" \| — \| align="left"\| single only
colspan="4" style="font-size:8pt"\| "—" denotes releases that did not chart

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2" style="width:14em;"| Single

! colspan="1"| Peak positions

! rowspan="2"| Album

style="font-size:smaller;"

! width="65"| US Country

rowspan="2"| 1996

! scope="row"| "God's Country"

| 73

| align="left" rowspan="2"| All in Good Time

scope="row"| "Honky Tonk Mona Lisa"