Joe Purdy

Joe Purdy grew up in Arkansas and spent time on a loading dock along with a stint counseling students at a private high school before his composition “Wash Away” became the defining track of ABC’s Lost during its 2004 run. After relocating from Arkansas to California in 2001, he taught himself piano and started composing original material. Several self-produced recordings followed, and his profile rose in the Los Angeles scene once StompinGrounds appeared in 2003. Around that period, Lost executive producer J.J. Abrams reached out and commissioned a song for the series. While staying on an island along a river in upstate New York, Purdy wrote “Wash Away,” which later charted on the country listings. The track anchored the 2004 release Julie Blue, and Only Four Seasons arrived two years afterward.