A self-taught musician from northern Arkansas (near the Buffalo
River), Joel combines his Christian faith, southern roots and life experiences
in raw, simple acoustic melodies. At the
age of 17, shortly after ordering his first electric guitar out of a magazine
for a room decoration, he began playing music with a high school friend who
introduced him to Christ. They formed a garage band and an inseparable union, which became the foundation of his love for life-telling, authentic, Christ-centered
music. Joel enlisted in the ARMY and continued to play and write; forming a
band while living in Germany called “Psalter” and later playing guitar for
several years with a worship band in central Texas. After the military (2004),
he continued shortly with his own singing/speaking ministry. During that time
he set out to record his first solo acoustic album for the ministry. However,
the circumstances of making the album led to many complications and ultimately,
failure. This experience resulted in the
next 5 years with Joel doing very little writing or playing; only leading
worship for a small collegiate ministry at the University of North Texas.
In 2009 Joel and his wife “thru-hiked” the Appalachian Trail
as missionaries for a small ministry seeking to share the gospel with long
distance hikers. In the process of traveling 2184 miles from Georgia to Maine,
Joel’s passion for making music was re-ignited. In 2011 Joel began writing
songs again with the goal of making a simple acoustic album from home for
friends and family. His lyrics are genuinely thought provoking with rhythm
genres ranging from alternative to folk and hymn.
Joel is a U.S. Park Ranger for the National Park Service and
happily married to his wife, Cortney. They have one daughter, Riley-Kate, and
currently reside in northern California.
