Black Joe Lewis, a singer and guitarist based in Austin, channels vintage blues, soul, and R&B through his contemporary work. The Honeybears provide his backing, while his influences range from powerhouse “shouters” such as Howlin’ Wolf, Wilson Pickett, and James Brown to the smoother approach of Sam Cooke.
His debut album arrived on Weary in 2007. Around the same period, a slot at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, drew wider listener and critical support. In 2009 Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears issued Tell ’Em What Your Name Is! on Lost Highway; Jim Eno of Spoon produced the set.
The band maintained a heavy touring schedule for the following year, then regrouped at Austin’s Public Hi-Fi studio with Eno to cut the still-rawer Scandalous. The gospel ensemble the Relatives appear on the track “You Been Lyin’.” Lost Highway released the album in March 2011.
Lewis returned in 2013 with his fourth studio album, the raw and raucous Electric Slave, credited solely to Black Joe Lewis after he grew weary of the Honeybears name. Fans and promoters, however, interpreted the change as a shift to solo work. Following a period of downtime, Lewis restored the Honeybears billing for Backlash, his first release on INgrooves Music Group, issued in 2017; the record also incorporated harder grooves and a more pronounced rock & roll influence.
