John Popper, hailed by many as the world’s greatest harmonica player, is the lead singer and principal songwriter of Blues Traveler, a quartet named after aSaturday Night Live sketch and a character in the movie Ghostbusters. Popper has gained international renown for composing Run-Around,” the longest-charting single inBillboard history, along with other radio staples such as Hook,” But Anyway,” and Carolina Blues.” He has performed at the White House for three presidents, welcomed the Hungarian ambassador to the stage with his group, and inducted Carlos Santana into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. When not touring he makes his home in Snohomish, Washington.
Dean Budnick has reported on John Popper’s career in multiple settings, including feature articles and a cover story atRelix magazine, where Budnick serves as editor-in-chief. He also welcomed Popper as a host of the Jammy Awards, the event that Budnick co-founded and produced, and directed the documentaryWetlands Preserved: The Story of an Activist Rock Club, featuring Popper and his Blues Traveler band mates. Budnick has also writtenTicket Masters: The Rise of the Concert Industry and How the Public Got Scalped and is a contributor to theHollywood Reporter. For many years he co-hosted a weekly radio show on SiriusXM and remains a consistent voice on satellite radio. Budnick holds a PhD from Harvard's History of American Civilization program and a JD from Columbia Law School. He lives in East Greenwich, Rhode Island.
