National Drift

John Leventhal, the six-time Grammy-winning songwriter, producer, and guitarist, calls his second record National Drift a “found album.” Without intending to make a record, National Drift is the result of an outpouring of improvisations recorded while Leventhal was producing Rosanne Cash’s upcoming Blue Note release. His first solo recording effort, 2024’s Rumble Strip was described by Texas Monthly as “a masterful debut from a promising new solo artist.” Leventhal began his career in late 1970s New 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 List, 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” as well as 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, Jackson Browne, Bruce Hornsby, Willie Nelson, 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 remarkably eclectic career.