Storytelling through song
Some of the events that have marked the history of Tuscarawas County have been set to music. Josh Compton, 42, of Dover has composed and recorded an album of songs that bring to life the county’s stories. The album, “The Big Trail & Other Ballads of the Tuscarawas,” will be available Jan. 19.
“I started making music when I was about 22,” Compton said. He plays acoustic guitar, something he learned to play at that age, along with harmonica. “I actually had a lot of songs in my head. I’d never thought of myself as a guy who would write music, but I took it up and learned enough that I could start writing.”
Compton has what may be the most critical quality in a songwriter. “I’ve always loved storytelling, especially through song. That’s always been what I’ve tried to do, to tell stories in song. I started in college in art. For a photography class, I needed to get out and take pictures around the area, so I went exploring around back roads and different areas of Tuscarawas County, taking pictures. In seeing all the historical markers and learning some of the wild stories that come from this county, that’s where the ideas for the album started to hatch.”
It took about two years for the music to come together. “The album really focuses on some of the missionary groups that came here,” Compton said, “the Moravians, interactions with Native Americans, the canals and things like that. It stops at 1913 with the big flood that occurred that year.”
There will be more songs in the future. “This is sort of a first volume. I want to tell more stories, more detailed stories about some of these things. Of course it was a lot of work to get this one done, and it may take a while, but I’d like this to be something that grows and continues,” Compton said.
Compton credits the many who helped bring the album into being. “I worked a lot with Coby Hartzler, a local musician and engineer. He engineered and helped produce it with me and played a lot of the instruments. Hannah Hubbard and Mallory Gerstacker of The Kodachrome Babies came in and sang for it as well. I had a lot of help from a lot of musicians. The Tuscarawas Arts Partnership helped with funding and so did the Tuscarawas County Center for the Arts. A lot of collaborators, and I’m grateful for so much help with this.”
The Appalachian Community Fund also contributed to the album’s creation. He also found plenty of support from family. “My dad, anytime I’ve performed, has always been in the front row. My wife is a big supporter of what I do. I have a great family support system,” Compton said.
After the album’s release on Jan. 19, a live performance is scheduled at Dover First Moravian Church on Jan. 20. The album will be available from harpfamilyrecordings.bandcamp.com and from Amazon Music and Apple Music.
Some of the songs included in the recorded album are “He Walked the Forbidden Trail,” “O’Goshen,” “Garden of Separatists” and “The Iron Horse Is Coming!”
While he loves composing and performing, it’s not something Compton, a Dover Elementary art teacher by day, would want to make a full-time career. “It’s a great artistic outlet and hobby for me. My songs are very much niche in nature. I’m not the strongest singer or the strongest player, but I put a lot of heart into what I do and a lot of detail into the lyrics.”
