Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on 2026-09-02
Six-time GRAMMY-winning songwriter, producer, and guitarist John Leventhal will release his new album, National Drift, on October 2 via Rumble Strip Records / Thirty Tigers.
The album follows Leventhal’s acclaimed solo debut, Rumble Strip, released more than 40 years into his storied career.
“A masterful debut from a promising new solo artist,” wrote Texas Monthly of Rumble Strip. No Depression added, “Rumble Strip showcases Leventhal’s creative ingenuity as well as his fluid, eloquent, and understated guitar work. He’s one of the top guitarists playing today, and this album underscores that his playing is always in the service of the song.”
Along with the announcement, Leventhal has shared the new song “When I Walked to the River.”
LISTEN TO “WHEN I WALKED TO THE RIVER”
National Drift will be released on Rumble Strip Records, the label Leventhal founded with Rosanne Cash, his wife and creative partner for more than 30 years. Leventhal has co-written and produced eight albums for Cash, including her upcoming solo record in 2027.
PRE-ORDER / PRE-SAVE NATIONAL DRIFT
Leventhal calls National Drift a “found album.” Without initially intending to make another solo record, the album emerged as a collection of ethereal and soulful instrumentals, the result of an outpouring of improvisations recorded while Leventhal was co-writing and producing Cash’s upcoming Blue Note release.
ABOUT JOHN LEVENTHAL
Leventhal began his career in late-1970s New York City, playing guitar in dozens of bands, including those led by Billy Vera, Steve Forbert, and Levon Helm.
In the 1980s, he developed a songwriting partnership with Shawn Colvin and produced her 1989 GRAMMY-winning debut album, Steady On.
He went on to produce GRAMMY-winning albums for Rosanne Cash (The River and the Thread), Stax legend William Bell (This Is Where I Live), Colvin’s 1998 GRAMMY-winning Song of the Year “Sunny Came Home,” and Sarah Jarosz’s 2020 album World on the Ground.
Additional producing credits include Marc Cohn, Jim Lauderdale, The Blind Boys of Alabama, and Joan Osborne.
As a guitar player, he has recorded and performed with Willie Nelson, Ry Cooder, Dolly Parton, Jackson Browne, Bruce Hornsby, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Elvis Costello, Donald Fagen, and The National.
His impulse to look for unexpected moments of beauty has served as a compass and survival tactic throughout his remarkable career.
