Me&Thee Coffeehouse, Marblehead, Mass. | Friday night concerts from September to June

It’s hard to believe, but Jonathan Edwards will be making his me&thee debut. Edwards is perhaps best known for his big hit song, “Sunshine,” which soared high on the Billboard music charts. Jonathan has been making music fans happy for a few decades now and will be playing with his very tight band. ¶ Marblehead native singer/songwriter Kat Quinn will open. Her shows have been winning praise for her warm, sensitive vocals, easy-going charisma, and sharp, straight from the heart songwriting, with lyrics marked by a winning combination of poetry and plainspoken language. You may have seen her perform at our Beatles benefit this past summer.

Warm as summer sunshine, real as the truth, intimate as a long overdue visit between old friends . . . such is a Jonathan Edwards concert. Four decades into a stellar career of uncompromising musical integrity, the man simply delivers night after night — songs of passion, songs of insight, songs of humor, all rendered in that pure and powerful tenor which, like fine wine, has only grown sweeter with age. This is one veteran performer who is neither grizzled nor nostalgic.

These days Jonathan Edwards, a vital and relevant artist in today’s folk and Americana scenes, is most likely to be found on the road with amazing accompanists. “I’ve been . . . doing what I do best, which is playing live in front of people. I’ve been concentrating on that and loving it,” he says. An artist who measures his success by his ability to attract and take good care of an audience for four decades, Jonathan maintains that it is the feedback he receives after his shows that keeps him going. “It is really gratifying to hear [someone say], ‘Your stuff has meant a lot to me over the years.’ ”

The “stuff” he’s referring to is a highly respected repertoire that includes such classics as “Honky Tonk Stardust Cowboy,” “Sometimes,” “One Day Closer,” “Don’t Cry Blue,” “Emma,” “Everybody Knows Her,” “Athens County,” and everyone’s favorite ode to putting a good buzz on, “Shanty.” And then, of course, there’s the anthemic “Sunshine (Go Away Today),” that fierce proclamation of protest and independence that resonated with thousands and thousands of frustrated and angry young men and women when it was first released in 1971. At show after show, the song continues to be embraced by faithful followers and new fans alike.

Since 1971, Jonathan has released 15 albums, including Blue Ridge, his standard-setting collaboration with bluegrass favorites the Seldom Scene, and Little Hands, his collection of children’s songs, which was honored with a National Library Association award. As for album #16, Jonathan says, “Young people that are getting back to the land and trying to get off the power grid encourage me. My next studio album will reflect some of those themes.”

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Kat Quinn grew up in Marblehead, MA. Quinn didn’t think about a career in music until college, when she wrote her first song. “My voice teacher sent my demo to an artist in LA, who saw potential in the songs. That was the turning point.” Quinn didn’t study music at Notre Dame; she majored in Spanish Literature and Peace Studies, with a minor in Latin American studies. She spent a lot of time in Latin America and even received a grant to travel to Ecuador to write songs about immigration. “My project involved gathering the stories of children who had been left behind by parents that had emigrated to other countries in search of work. My studies were a round-about way to get to songwriting, but I think it has given me a different perspective as a songwriter.” The singer moved to Nashville after graduating from college. Although her music had a country slant, her lyrics didn’t quite fit in Music City. Since relocating to New York, she’s been pursuing her songwriting career full time.