Singer/songwriter John Flynn will be returning to 6 On The Square in Oxford at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 31. (Submitted photo)

OXFORD - Singer/songwriter John Flynn returns to 6 On The Square in Oxford at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 31, to share his songs of social activism and heartfelt humanity.

Over more than a dozen albums, Flynn has delivered compelling stories brimming with humor, compassion, and heartfelt wisdom. With his inviting baritone voice, his humble personality, and his gift for melody and lyrics, he can’t help but draw listeners in. Because of his fearlessness about planting a flag for a particular point of view, critics have hailed Flynn as a modern-day Pete Seeger or Woody Guthrie.

A quiet and serious youth, the former altar boy was elected president of the National Honor Society and named Scholar Athlete of the Year while receiving two congressional nominations to the U.S. Naval Academy. Music provided a stronger pull, however, and he put himself through Temple University playing folk and country rock covers in bar bands while slowly working his own songs into the setlists.

Flynn abandoned plans to attend law school when his song "Rainbows and Butterflies" was recorded by Billy Swan and hit the Top 40 on the country charts. It led to a staff songwriting position at Combine Music in Nashville and meeting Kris Kristofferson, and the two men bonded over shared interests in storytelling through music and social justice issues.

After Nashville, Flynn was known primarily as a children’s musician, putting out albums like 1995’s “Love Takes a Whole Box of Crayons” and 1999’s “A Manatee Sneezed on Me.” In 2005, Arlo Guthrie invited him to join musical legends like Willie Nelson and Ramblin' Jack Elliott on the historic "Train to New Orleans" tour following Hurricane Katrina.

Flynn has received the Phil Ochs Award, the Dominicans’ Shining Star Award, and Pacem in Terris’s Peacemaker Award, as well as honors from the Vietnam Veterans of America, the American Library Association, and the Grammys. He also has been honored with the Champion of Justice/Humanitarian Award from the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Past winners include Stevie Wonder, Janet Reno, Julian Bond, and Sister Helen Prejean.

In 2005, Flynn began volunteering as lead inmate support group facilitator at Delaware's maximum-security penitentiary, The Howard R. Young Correctional Institution. Due to the success of this work, he took on other prisons, and in 2013 began running additional groups for those who had been released.

In 2017, Flynn founded New Beginnings - Next Step Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to helping incarcerated and returning citizens successfully transition to life outside prison. He currently serves as the executive director.

Flynn is releasing new music throughout 2025, beginning with a single co-written by Kristofferson called “Kris’s Rules.” It includes Kristofferson’s mantra: “Tell the truth. Sing with passion. Work with laughter. Love with heart.”

For more information, visit www.johnflynn.net.

Tickets for the 6OTS performance are $20 in advance or $25 at the door; purchase at 6onthesquare.org or call 607-843-OTS6 (6876) to make a reservation. Doors open one hour before the start of performances. The concert also will be streamed live online for $10; more information at 6onthesquare.org.

Performances supported in part by the R.C. Smith Foundation, and by Earlville Opera House's Arts in the Community Grants Program, made possible by the NYS Legislature with support of the Office of the Governor, and administered by the New York State Council on the Arts.

Open Mic Night returns to 6 On The Square on Thursday, June 5, with emcee Ray Stark. Sign-in begins at 6:45 p.m. with performances at 7. Musicians and poets are encouraged to share their talents.

Performers will use our professional sound equipment, and we'll provide a sound tech. There is no charge to perform or be in the audience — but we'll gratefully take donations.

This spring at 6OTS: Laurie MacAllister of Red Molly (June 7) and our 18th Anniversary Show with Vance Gilbert (June 21).

6 On The Square, Inc. is an intimate, not-for-profit, volunteer-based acoustic music listening room and arts venue located at 6 Lafayette Park in downtown Oxford.

-Information provided by 6OTS