GARDINER — Guitar man Samuel James will perform at Johnson Hall in Gardiner at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 16.

TTicket prices range from $16 for adults;  $14 for seniors to $5 for students.

are available at Johnson Hall’s box office from noon to 3 p.m.,  Tuesday through Friday at 582-7144 or by visiting their website at www.johnsonhall.org. 

With a voice of grit and gravel, roots musician Samuel James sings with an authenticity lost in time. A modern guitar master, James’ skill has a depth and range that seems impossible for a man with only two hands.

An award-winning songwriter, one of the world’s most innovative guitar players, and a featured storyteller on NPR’s “The Moth Story Hour” James brings all of this to his stage show. His live performance is not just a concert; it is an event.

He was born the last in a long line of performers including dancers, storytellers, choir singers, jazz pianists, and porch-stomping guitar-thumpers dating back to the 1800s.

Samuel James’ songwriting has been compared to Leonard Cohen’s and his guitar skills to those of Jimi Hendrix. His critically acclaimed trilogy of albums, “Songs Famed for Sorrow and Joy” (2008) “For Rosa, Maeve and Noreen” (2009) “And for the Dark Road Ahead” (2012) for Toronto’s Northern Blues label has gained James  praise not only for carrying on great traditions, but for being a true innovator.

He has received standing ovations for his performances from Maine to California as well as Canada, England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Germany, France, Portugal, Spain, Norway, Belgium, Poland, Romania, Russia and Turkey.

“…he is wildly individualistic, a powerhouse of intensity, a man that packs ferocity in his virtuosity in what is unabashedly deep roots, old time … I play the country blues and I play it mean, in my kind of way.'” — TheCountryBlues.com

Tickets are available at Johnson Hall’s box office from noon to 3 p.m.,  Tuesday through Friday, at 582-7144 or by visiting their website at www.johnsonhall.org.