Joel Mabus

Joel Mabus may be called a singer-songwriter, but he doesn’t sound like one. He’s the son of a 1930’s old time fiddle champ and a banjo-pickin’ farm girl. His performing career began in college during the Vietnam era, where he studied anthropology and literature by day and played coffeehouses by night. He has recorded 20 solo albums of original and traditional music since his recording career started in 1978. For three years running, Joel has been in the top 10 most-played artists in the Folk Radio Charts for North America (folkradio.org). A one-off in the folk world, Joel defies any easy pigeonhole. His palette ranges from mountain banjo to jazz guitar—from sensitive introspection to wicked satire. He’s both picker & poet, and from coast to coast over the past 40 years this Midwesterner has brought audiences to their feet, wanting more.