Biography
Ian Noe surfaced toward the close of the 2010s with a sound positioned between conventional folk and the atmospheric Americana associated with Sturgill Simpson. His first album, the Dave Cobb-produced Between the Country, appeared in 2019 after a decade of songwriting and performances across his native Appalachia, an effort that drew listeners to his sharply detailed original compositions. Two years later came the comparably striking River Fools & Mountain Saints.
Born in the modest Eastern Kentucky community of Beattyville, Ian Noe picked up guitar during childhood under the guidance of his father and grandfather. Storytelling songwriters held particular appeal for him once he reached his teens, especially fellow Kentuckians Tom T. Hall and Dwight Yoakam. He built a catalog of original material and began performing nearby, capturing the top prize at 2007's Appalachian StarSearch for the song "Don't Let the Morning Bring Ya Down." Soon after, he assembled ten of his compositions into a self-titled collection issued in 2008. With that independent release serving as an introduction, he took whatever gigs became available while holding various day jobs and collected further recognition, among them a finalist placement in the Boston Folk Festival Songwriting Competition.
In his early twenties Noe spent a short period in Louisville yet returned home after finding the adjustment difficult, spending daytime hours on an oil rig while continuing to develop his music after dark. By the middle of the decade he started gaining traction in Americana circles, aided by manager Mary Sparr. The EP Off This Mountaintop surfaced on Silver & Gold Recordings in 2017. An opening slot alongside Colter Wall followed, generating early interest, and his visibility rose sharply once Jason Momoa—the performer first recognized as Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones before starring as Aquaman—highlighted him on a YouTube channel.
Signed to Thirty Tigers through its National Treasury Recordings imprint, Noe traveled to Nashville to record a debut full-length with producer Dave Cobb. Following several advance tracks, among them a fresh rendering of "Irene" from the earlier EP, Between the Country reached stores in 2019. The album registered solidly on Billboard's Heatseekers and Independent Albums charts, prompting work on new material. Captured at producer Andrija Tokic's Bomb Shelter studio in Nashville, the dynamic River Fools & Mountain Saints emerged in early 2022.
Born in the modest Eastern Kentucky community of Beattyville, Ian Noe picked up guitar during childhood under the guidance of his father and grandfather. Storytelling songwriters held particular appeal for him once he reached his teens, especially fellow Kentuckians Tom T. Hall and Dwight Yoakam. He built a catalog of original material and began performing nearby, capturing the top prize at 2007's Appalachian StarSearch for the song "Don't Let the Morning Bring Ya Down." Soon after, he assembled ten of his compositions into a self-titled collection issued in 2008. With that independent release serving as an introduction, he took whatever gigs became available while holding various day jobs and collected further recognition, among them a finalist placement in the Boston Folk Festival Songwriting Competition.
In his early twenties Noe spent a short period in Louisville yet returned home after finding the adjustment difficult, spending daytime hours on an oil rig while continuing to develop his music after dark. By the middle of the decade he started gaining traction in Americana circles, aided by manager Mary Sparr. The EP Off This Mountaintop surfaced on Silver & Gold Recordings in 2017. An opening slot alongside Colter Wall followed, generating early interest, and his visibility rose sharply once Jason Momoa—the performer first recognized as Khal Drogo on Game of Thrones before starring as Aquaman—highlighted him on a YouTube channel.
Signed to Thirty Tigers through its National Treasury Recordings imprint, Noe traveled to Nashville to record a debut full-length with producer Dave Cobb. Following several advance tracks, among them a fresh rendering of "Irene" from the earlier EP, Between the Country reached stores in 2019. The album registered solidly on Billboard's Heatseekers and Independent Albums charts, prompting work on new material. Captured at producer Andrija Tokic's Bomb Shelter studio in Nashville, the dynamic River Fools & Mountain Saints emerged in early 2022.
Albums
Singles
