"It was a great night of celebration and entertainment! I couldn't be more grateful for the recognition in this crazy, saturated industry. It's thinks like this that keep us making music and give us the drive to press on! - Darrell Pittman
In a category that awards songwriters who have also recorded their own work of musical art, it is no wonder why this amazing singer/songwriter was recognized for Songwriter of the Year, Personal Portfolio at The 2024 Josie Music Awards at The Grand Ole Opry on October 27, 2024.
U.S. Veteran Darrell Pittman, lead singer of D Boone Pittman and the Fugitives, has had a stellar year winning an Appalachian Arts and Entertainment Award for Best Original Song and was nominated in TWO categories at The Hollywood Independent Music Awards for Album of the Year and Folk/ Americana. All of these songs, including awards favorites "East of Ravenna and Love, Floods and Other Natural Disasters" originating from the monumental album "Resurrection Noise" with songs written and performed by Darrell Pittman himself and proceeds going to KSR Flood Relief.
D Boone Pittman, the Country/Americana songwriter, performer, and multiple Josie Award and Hollywood Independent Awards nominee, was thrilled to announce the official launch of his third studio album, Resurrection Noise in 2024. Pittman’s music has always been tethered to his roots. A product of Appalachia, Pittman’s songwriting captures the depths and majesty of his homeland while giving the listener a front row vantage point to the culture and history. Pittman writes and sings about this culture and history with an authority given only to those who have lived in the area. From the historical ballads like “Casey Jones” (from the Emerge, LP) and “Furnace Mountain” (from Bluegrass American Dream) to the relational angst expressed in songs like “She Likes the Beach” or “Bardstown Train”, Pittman consistently represents his heritage in song. It’s a formula that works, and his new project is no different. In the same way he approached the hardships of the pandemic with Emerge, Pittman tackles two new topics with his upcoming album Resurrection Noise.
The 10 track LP deals mostly with the subject matter of the tragic eastern Kentucky flooding from 2022, with some light hints to the passing of his father “Jackie” Pittman in 2021. “East of Ravenna”, the advanced single from the project, is meant to project hope to those still dealing with being displaced and/or grieving the loss of loved ones affected by the floods. “There is still so much left to be done and many still need our help, whether physically or financially.” He says “I wanted to do something to try to keep the focus on the region. As it stands, many are still without homes, and will be, for at least 2 more years. Natural disasters happen every day and our attention span chases the next new thing. I wanted to do something to redirect or focus to the area while also honoring the victims.”
Pittman’s musical story begins in the early 1970s at the grand opening of the local town drug store. His late father, from whom Pittman would later inherit his trademark Martin D-28 acoustic guitar, basically forced him to sing a Johnny Cash song, much to the delight of the crowd that had gathered there. Pittman, though he immediately received enthusiastic accolades and even tips, wasn’t havin’ it. “I hated it,” he recalls, “but I In my room, I’m playing air guitar and pretending to be Elvis, but to do it in public as a kid was really tough. It wasn’t that I struggled doing it, it was just more the fact that I was being made to do something. That ended up driving me into a phase where I refused to sing out in public at all.” Even going to a Johnny Cash concert at the age of 5 with his mother wasn’t enough to lure Pittman back into the spotlight, and transcribing the lyrics to hit songs off 45s for his father didn’t quite do the trick either—but it did lay the groundwork for the lyrical depth and flair that Pittman showed so effortlessly right off the bat with his 2019 debut Bluegrass American Dream.
As a tribute to his father, Pittman adopted The Fugitives band name, but he sees his work as carrying-on an even broader legacy. “I grew up in an environment where it was a common thing for people to bring their instruments over on the weekends—banjos, fiddles and guitars where everybody was singing and just having a good time. That was a really crucial aspect of my childhood. I really miss that. You don’t have that front-porch picking kind of spirit anymore, at least not where I’m at. So whatever I can do to bring it back with my music, I feel like I have to at least try.” In other words, Pittman is inviting you back home—back home to a world that still has room for community, back home to the most cherished aspects of your past and back home to yourself. You don’t have to be from Kentucky for his music to take you there, but D Boone Pittman sure does make it seem like a wonderful place to explore on the way. “East of Ravenna” can be downloaded from a non profit website that specializes in music sold for a good cause, Play It Forward. All the proceeds go towards the KSR Flood Relief fund and details are listed on the site.
To learn more about Darrell Pittman and D Boone Pittman and The Fugitives, you can go to
Renee Collins Cobb, M.Ed. and Warren Cobb. B.A. are Executive Producers of Overtones LIVE and Co-Owners of Listen Locally, LLC, as well as Executive Directors and Founders of Room 17 Productions, a non-profit 501c3 organization. We are also partners in Dreamland Entertainment Group and The Scribe TV Network.
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