At the top of his game

Language arts teacher-turned-Prairie Folk musician John Wort Hannam has always had a passion for music, but it wasn’t until well into his mature years that he made moves to fulfill his dream of becoming a performer.

“Finally, one night I was talking with [alternative country singer-songwriter] Fred Eaglesmith, and he said to me, ‘You’re dead a long time, so you better hurry up and get started,’” Hannam said. “A couple of days later, I put in my resignation at the school and picked up my first guitar.

“I started makin’ music and ran with it.”

Less than a decade later, the Canadian native has released four albums and has received eight prestigious music awards.

“The most meaningful was the grand prize at the Songwriting Competition at the 2007 Kerrville Folk Festival,” he said.

“It was an honor to share this title with other talent like Steve Earle and Lyle Lovett, and the highest compliment to me is being called a songwriter.”

He’ll give a solo acoustic performance at Beth Wood Fitchet’s Singer-Songwriter showcase from 8 to 11 p.m. Tuesday at the Marine Room, before embarking on a New York City tour.

Hannam released his first full album, “Queen’s Hotel,” earlier this year, with Black Hen music. Also under the label was his 2007 album, “Two-Bit Suit.”

Prior albums include independent releases “Dynamite and Dozers” (2004) and his debut EP “Pocket Full of Holes” (2002).

“‘Queen’s Hotel’ is more stripped down,” Hannam said. “We recorded it live off the floor, so there is no layering [of the instruments], which gives it a more raw feel.”

The album was recorded with upright bass player Tyler Bird and fiddler Scott Duncan, with whom Hannam performs in a trio on occasion.

Inspired by country artists like Eaglesmith and Guy Clark, and British rocker Billy Bragg, Hannam said his farm-life-meets-fiction, “story-telling” songs are a reflection of his childhood, and the “tough times” he watched his parents face growing up.

“My family moved from the U.K. to Canada when I was 9, during a ‘bust’ period,” he said. “I watched my parents struggle to raise four kids, and that upbringing of being really appreciative of everything that was given to me has really influenced my music.

“My songs deal with a lot of empathy for the underdog.”