Jim McGaw - HammerJam Productions

Jim will give a top flight musical performance in a choice of musical genre including folk, Celtic, country and jazz given on interesting contemporary or anachronistic instruments including the hammer and mountain dulcimers, guitars and Autoharp. Additionally, Jim can give presentations about the history and cultural impact of the instruments he plays. He is also an accomplished baritone/tenor vocalist conversant with vocal repertoire in each of the genre mentioned. He can costume appropriately if required. His forty years of musical performance has prepared him for a broad variety of audience with whom he interacts easily.

Jim McGaw grew up in Southeastern Ohio where he found a rich heritage at the crossroads of American mountain and country music. He has been performing and composing music for over 45 years. His Bluegrass/Jazz/Country crossover group, The New Vinton County Frogwhompers Marching, Singing, Strumming, and Plucking Society-The Frogwhompers for short-were featured in the nationally syndicated PBS series, Hocking Valley Bluegrass, and have been highlighted in Bluegrass Unlimited Magazine. His music has been used for Emmy Award winning documentary films and commercial advertisements as well as interpreted by various performers throughout the U.S. He has given seminars and workshops in the instruments of his specialty. He plays the six and twelve string guitars, autoharp, hammered and mountain dulcimers and banjo. Although Jim has performed with numerous ensembles, his current single act is organized toward the restaurant/ lounge environment or acoustic folk presentations including American, Irish, German, French, English, and Scottish music. Jim is in constant demand for weddings, receptions, and parties. He also enjoys doing children’s presentations and has done so successfully for a number of years at festivals and special programs.

As a performing musician he is totally conversant with his audience regardless of the venue and relates the history of his instruments in addition to spinning yarns and quipping with his audience. Jim has been a regular performer at Augusta, Georgia’s prestigious ‘326’ Restaurant at the Telfair Inn and the Partridge Inn on Walton Way. He has given highly acclaimed performances in the Appleby Library performance series in Augusta and performed to large appreciative audiences at the Augusta Mall. He has been included as a regular at the Colonial Times Celebration in North Augusta, South Carolina; the Love Affair Festival in Tifton, Georgia; Frontier Days and numerous other events at Georgia’s Stone Mountain Park. He is also a regular performer in Georgia’s state parks and events throughout Georgia and South Carolina. He now resides in Savannah, Georgia, with his wife, Dr. Myrtle (Sam) McGaw. He continues an active teaching, composing, and performing life.

I can provide and operate complete high quality audio gear for performances for audiences of up to 300 for an additional fee. I do not provide my own staging or lighting. I can do an acoustic performance in a 15 foot square area. That area increases to a 20 foot front with sound reinforcement and multiple instruments.