Biography
Cory Chisel crafts songs as a rootsy and evocative singer-songwriter whose work draws on an array of styles spanning folk, blues, gospel, country, and rock. Born in Appleton, Wisconsin, in 1982, he grew up with a father who served as a Baptist minister and a mother who supplied piano accompaniment during services. Although his parents frowned on pop music, the household soundtrack centered on vintage gospel alongside Johnny Cash; an uncle with a passion for the blues further expanded his listening by exposing him to John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, and fellow Minnesotan Bob Dylan. At age twelve Chisel picked up the guitar, and during junior high he embraced punk rock, whose rebellious energy matched his own outlook. His first real band, Breathing Machine, formed in 1997 as a no-frills rock outfit. Over time his songwriting gravitated toward the earlier sounds he had absorbed, prompting a gradual shift in the group’s direction; in 2004 he rebranded the project as The Wandering Sons after giving it a stylistic overhaul. That same year the independent Wish List label issued their debut album, Again from The Beginning. The EP Darken Your Door appeared in 2005, and the 2006 release Little Bird prompted a further name adjustment to Cory Chisel & the Wandering Sons, acknowledging both his central role and the group’s ever-changing membership, which often incorporated players borrowed from other admired acts to add fresh textures. In 2008 Chisel joined Black Seal Records, an RCA subsidiary created to spotlight emerging talent; the association began with the live EP Cabin Ghosts, recorded under the guidance of producer Tony Berg. The following year he headed to Nashville to record his first proper album for the imprint, Death Won't Send a Letter, which Joe Chiccarelli produced and which included contributions from Jack Lawrence of the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather as well as keyboardist and vocalist Adriel Harris, who would become Chisel’s long-term creative collaborator. Despite favorable critical notices and an expanding live following, RCA discontinued Black Seal, leaving Chisel without a label. A difficult divorce in 2011 prompted his move from Wisconsin to Nashville, where he connected with fellow songwriter Brendan Benson. Benson, then establishing Readymade Records, signed Chisel and volunteered to produce the next record. Cut at an all-analog Nashville studio, Old Believers reached stores in June 2012; Chisel and his newest configuration of the Wandering Sons supported the album on the road, including a series of opening slots for Norah Jones.
Albums
