North Shore songwriters will gather in Gloucester for three consecutive evenings of performances at the West End Theater this weekend.

The series, titled "Songwriters," was created by Ian McColl and Dan King. Each night, starting tomorrow, will feature five artists in a "round robin" format with each songwriter performing four original songs.

"These three evenings are intended to celebrate the depth of our region's songwriting talent," said McColl. "This particular kind of program gives people a venue that is a listening room and we're glad to provide the location for these songwriters to perform."

Gloucester songwriter Dan King will host the three nights of music, and open each performance with one of his own compositions.

"King is a fixture of the North Shore music scene and he is a prolific songwriter," said McColl.

The participating singers and songwriters are diverse, many with long histories of performing across the nation, as well as for regional audiences, and include names like Sal Baglio, Christine Baze and Allen Estes.

"This is a unique opportunity and I'm excited to be a part of it," said Salem's Jesse Ciaramitaro, a John Lennon Songwriting Contest winner who performs as part of tomorrow night's lineup. "I would love to listen to a show like that and hear how everyone is going to approach the situation. It's great to sit around with other singer/songwriters and talk about music and also play a show."

"This is something I always wanted to do," said King, whose CDs have featured noted local musicians like Dave Mattacks, Dave Brown, Fly Amero, Tom Hambridge and Mike Tucker . "The best thing about this is that people really play their top stuff. When each artist is doing only three or four songs, you hear just the cream."

The program encompasses a range of styles and approaches to music, from rock to roots to blues and more.

King scheduled the musicians in such a way that if someone wanted to attend all three nights, the music performed would be different every evening.

"On Friday, three of the artists are a bit more piano-based. It's eclectic and edgy. Saturday is more roots-type music meaning some rock and roll, country and blues, and Sunday will be an interesting night with a real mix of sounds from traditional music to Celtic sounds and more," said King.

"It's a treat for people to hear the original music of songwriters in an intimate settings. You get to compare styles of songwriters when you have four or five lined up in a row. In no other venue would that occur," said Estes, who has performed at songwriters' events for decades both locally and in Nashville. "It's truly fun for us. I liken it to someone who paints when they have their own exhibit and people come specially to see their paintings. That's what the songwriters nights are like. There's a lot of musicians - just as there are artists - on the North Shore. It's great to put a three-night focus on this because when songwriters perform their own songs exclusively, it's a special evening."

The lineup

Tomorrow: Jesse Ciaramitaro, Christine Baze, Julie Dougherty, Brian King, Jack O'Hara, Tony Goddess and Mary Lou Lord

Saturday: Sal Baglio, Judy C., Allen Estes, Orville Giddings and Satch Kerans

Sunday: Gary Backstrom, Inge Berge, Elaine O'Rourke, Erin Brown and Marty Rowan

About the songwriters

r Christine Baze, who founded Popsmear and Yellow Umbrella Tour, has shared the stage with Ben Folds and Michelle Shocked.

* Julie Dougherty, who has written and performed since the late 1960s, has performed with groups as diverse as The Kingston Trio and The Boston Horns.

* Brian King, a Gloucester native, is the songwriter front man for the Boston-based "What Time Is It Mr. Fox?" King, who is known for his wry, powerful voice, performs music for broken hearts.

* Mary Lou Lord, who started her career performing on streets and subways, has built her repertoire "one song at a time." She has performed with Roger McGuinn and Elliot Smith.

* Jack O'Hara, an initiator of London's "pub rock" scene and founder of "Eggs Over Easy," has jammed with Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, The Blues Project and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band.

* Tony Goddess, a member of Papas Fritas, recorded three CDs on Minty Fresh Records. He toured the U.S. and Europe with The Cardigans, Flaming Lips and Blur.

* Sal Baglio was guitarist for Boston's renowned band The Stompers. His newest songs are described as watching "Mary Poppins" as directed by John Waters.

* Judy C., a veteran of the San Francisco and Boston singer/songwriter circuit, has an ethereal sound suggestive of Celtic balladry and Eastern modality.

* Allen Estes, winner of the Independent Music World Series of New England and voted Best Independent Act of New England, has been the opening act for Bonnie Raitt, J. Geils, Tom Rush and Waylon Jennings. He has co-written songs with Tammy Wynette and Shania Twain and has had his songs recorded by Tammy Wynette and The Judds.

* Orville Giddings, a Berklee College of Music graduate, has played rock n' roll and the blues with bands such as The Rakes, Future Panic, Brave New World and The British Norberts.

* Satch Kerans, founder and frontman for North Shore favorite The Catalinas, he has opened for Roy Orbison, Steven Van Zandt and NRBQ. His solo debut, "Elliot Street" has received good reviews.

* Gary Backstrom, who has toured the country with his band Jiggle the Handle, has shared the stage with bands including The Allman Brothers, Little Feat, Bob Weir and The Spin Doctors.

r Inge Berge has toured internationally as lead guitar for Broadway's "Tommy" and plays locally performing his own songs at North Shore pubs.

* Elaine O'Rourke creates music that resonates with the spirit of her native Ireland. Her seductive voice and entrancing acoustic guitar style is said to bring listeners to a mystical, ancient place.

* Marty Rowan, a North Shore pianist, is known for his blues and jazz stylings. The originator of "blu bop," he has played with Howlin' Wolf and others.

* Erin Brown, a Berklee graduate, has played with Hunter's Moon and was the featured vocalist on John Donelan's CD "Our Life and Times."

If you go

* What: "Songwriters," three evenings featuring original songs of North Shore musicians

* When: Tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday; all performances are at 7:30 p.m.

* Where: The West End Theater at One Washington St. in Gloucester.

* How: Tickets are $15, or $25 for two nights, or $30 for all three nights. For reservations or details, call 978-281-0680 or visit www.thewestendtheater.com.