McCutcheon brings one-man show to town

Folk singer John McCutcheon returns to Modesto for a fundraiser on June 11 at the Prospect Theater Project.

McCutcheon will perform his one-man show “Joe Hill’s Last Will” as a benefit for the Modesto Peace/Life Center. The musician just released “Joe Hill’s Last Will” as an album in May.

The folk musical tells the story of Swedish American labor activist and singer-songwriter Joe Hill, who through the power of his music inspired workers throughout the U.S. and Canada to unionize.

An immigrant himself, Hill was a champion of immigrant and labor rights, and his words lived long after his imprisonment and eventual execution in 1915. Hill was convicted of the murders of a father and son in a controversial trial in Utah..

A six-time Grammy nominee, McCutcheon wrote the play with labor historian Si Khan.

The production is sparse, according to a press release: The scene is a simple jail cell, with a bed, a chair and a window.

The performance is at 7:30 p.m. June 11 at Prospect, 1214 K St., Modesto. Tickets are $23, available at www.eventbrite.com.

This story was originally published June 3, 2015 at 7:23 PM with the headline "McCutcheon brings one-man show to town."