Michael Kirkpatrick

Michael Kirkpatrick

Fort Collins, Colorado-based folk-rock singer-songwriter Michael Kirkpatrick was selected as the winner of the 2014 Telluride Troubadour Competition and had the opportunity to perform a short set on the main stage during the 41st Annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival that took place in Colorado, June 19-22.

The nationally recognized performing songwriter competition is open to anyone who writes and performs original music and who is not currently signed to a major recording or publishing deal.

Kirkpatrick was one of ten finalists chosen from among hundreds of entrants on the basis of the quality of their songs’ composition, vocal delivery and the overall performance. After performing in two finalist rounds during the festival, Kirkpatrick was named the winner and awarded cash and other prizes and performed a short set on the main stage following Yonder Mountain String Band on June 21.

Being named as 2014’s Telluride Troubadour is just the latest honor for Kirkpatrick, a modern-day minstrel who sings about nature, dreams and sensuality while generally accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and mandolin. He was named Best Male Singer-Songwriter for two successive years by the Fort Collins Musicians Association, while The Colorado Sound named his latest release, Key to My Cage, “Best Folk Rock/Singer-Songwriter Record of 2013. When not performing as a solo artist, Kirkpatrick can often be found gigging with The Holler!, his folkadelic rock band. A multi-instrumentalist, Kirkpatrick also plays electric and lap-slide guitars, sitar and hammered dulcimer.

Second to fifth-place winners in this year’s Telluride Troubadour Competition were Allie Farris (Nashville, TN), Emily Mure New York, NY), David McMillin (Chicago, IL) and David White (Franklin, TN).

Previous winners of the Telluride Troubadour competition, which has been held in conjunction with the Telluride Bluegrass Festival since 1991, include Larry Good (1991), Cosy Sheridan (1992), Dan Sheridan (1993), Catie Curtis (1994), LJ Booth (1995), Michael Lille (1996), Jonathan Kingham (1997), Eugene Ruffolo (1998), Libby Kirkpatrick (1999), Mary Coppin (2000), Kris Delmhorst (2001), Deb Talan (2002), Rachel Davis (2003), Brian Joseph (2004), Keith Greeninger (2005), Nels Andrews (2006), Gregory Alan Isakov (2007), Nathan Moore (2008), Mitch Barrett (2009), Robby Hecht (2010), Matt Harlan (2011, Reed Waddle (2012), and Reed Turner (2013).