For decades, John Leventhal has been heralded for his peerless work as a producer, arranger, guitarist, and engineer. He’s amassed six Grammys accompanying singer-songwriters and artists like Rosanne Cash (his wife), Marc Cohn, Jim Lauderdale, William Bell, Joan Osborne and many others. On January 26, 2024, fans will finally be able to hear Leventhal’s own music when he releases  Rumble Strip, his first-ever solo album.

The Fretboard Journal is proud to premiere the video for one of the album’s tracks, the instrumental “JL’s Hymn No. 2.” (Later in 2024, Leventhal will also be contributing his first feature to our magazine.)

On this track, Leventhal is using his trusty 1949 Gibson J-50. “It’s very light and ‘dried out,'” Leventhal tells us. “I put an old DeArmond on there, played it through a Princeton Reverb with a touch of tremolo, as well as mic’ing guitar as one would…and that’s about it….”

Listen to two new tracks from Rumble Strip now:
“That’s All I Know About Arkansas” (featuring Rosanne Cash)
“JL’s Hymn No. 2” (instrumental)
Pre-Order/Save Links for Rumble Strip

Above photo: Wes Bender