Emory Joseph

Singer-songwriter Emory Joseph first appeared on record with Labor & Spirits in 2003. That release immediately established the artist as a soulful mixer of American idioms whose approach echoed earlier figures such as Lowell George, Ry Cooder, Delbert McClinton and Dr. John. The sessions also stood out for the array of seasoned players who took part, among them Levon Helm of The Band, Kenny Aronoff of John Mellencamp, Dave Mattacks of Fairport Convention and T-Bone Wolk, known for his work with Elvis Costello and Hall & Oates.

Although he now resides in Northern California, Joseph was born and raised in St. Louis, where the varied music broadcast on local AM stations first reached him through a childhood transistor radio. His father had departed the household when Joseph was still young. Over the ensuing years he took on an assortment of livelihoods—shoeing horses, restaurant work, living aboard a boat and serving as a stay-at-home dad—before deciding, well after his thirtieth birthday, to document his lifelong musical pursuits. The personal ties he had cultivated across multiple cities while scraping by as a musician proved essential in assembling the personnel heard on Labor & Spirits.