SONGWRITING

"THE ART OF COMPRESSION"

John Cadley credits several influences in his songwriting style.  His career as an advertising copywriter in Upstate New York honed his skills for something he calls "the art of compression" —that is—making every word count. His affection for the rhythm and expression in lyrics was nurtured during his schooling in classical literature as a young boy. And his love for language was fostered by his mother.

Described as "fresh, intelligent, thoughtful and thought-provoking," John's songs have been recorded by bluegrass artists such as Tony Trischka, Jim Hurst, Missy Raines, and his song "Time", recorded by Lou Reid and Carolina, spent three months at the #1 spot on the bluegrass charts.

John has been a featured guest presenter, alongside songwriters Martha Trachtenberg and Jim Gaudet for Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival’s Songwriting Workshops.

John's songwriting has been recognized by Just Plain Folks as among the best in the nation, with his recordings "The Closer I Get" (2007)  and "The Hard Years" (2015) being nominated for best album and several songs garnering nominations as well.

In 2020, “The Hard Years” garnered first place in Just Plain Folks’ Best Bluegrass Song category out of thousands of entries—ahead of other well known artists and songwriters such as Dixie and Tom T. Hall, John Reischman and the Jaybirds and Trisha Gagnon.

In 2022, John’s collection of 13 original songs titled “I Never Knew” garnered Best Americana recording at the Syracuse Area Music Awards.