Born an advahoot—an enlightened being—Hillbilly Guru entertainingly comments upon today’s politics as only a holy fool can. He is in the world, but not of it. Hillbilly Guru’s father is from the Appalachians and his mother is from the Himalayas. From his trailer high up in the Appalachian hills, Hillbilly Guru crafts songs which reflect a society dancing on the precipice. Hillbilly Guru plays the kind of music you can listen to on your way to the revolution.
Hillbilly Guru is an innocent; his songs are the truth told by an idiot savant. His birthright as an advahoot makes him incapable of intended malice or offense. He weaves compassion and humor even throughout his songs’ darkest explorations of the sacred and the profane.
From global warming through religious leaders to America’s involvement in the war in Iraq, Hillbilly Guru provocatively explores the territory between hope and despair that encapsulates the experience of living today. Taking on multi-national corporations, consumer culture and the isolation of the individual in am America in which shopping malls are the new temples, Hillbilly Guru thinks the unthinkable and says the unsayable.
Singer/songwriter Richard Crafton of Baltimore, Maryland wrote several songs embodying the spirit of Hillbilly Guru between 1999 and 2006. In the summer of 2007, Hillbilly Guru emerged in Crafton’s imagination as a fully developed character. A multi-talented singer, guitar player, and songwriter, Crafton’s oeuvres include danceable folk, blues and reggae. “I’m coming from so many places, if you listen to it, the influences are everything from Mozart to Marley.”
Although the earthy artistry and comic sensibility of Hillbilly Guru sparkle throughout Crafton’s songwriting, there’s a distinct sensibility in the Hillbilly Guru songs. “I’m just trying to heighten social awareness, and sometimes it takes an insult to do that. You finally have to use the right tool for the job. Hillbilly Guru insults people, that’s what he does.”
Hillbilly Guru’s songs are among the most frequently downloaded from Crafton’s site, <
www.colorlighttheory.com>. They include the songs “Information Seekers”, “Blood is Thicker than Water”, “Higher Places”, “Stupid People”, “Om Song”, “W”, and “Heaven”. Thanks to Crafton’s free get-it-while-you-can approach, the songs are now listened top in 27 countries.
Hillbilly Guru is a musical messenger of the post-industrial age, who by virtue of his status of a fool can unselfconsciously proclaim, “But the emperor wears no clothes!” Perhaps the popularity of Hillbilly Guru comes from the fact that many music listeners wish they were just as outspoken.