A prominent presence in Chicago's roots-music community, guitarist and vocalist Joel Paterson has built a reputation for his retro-tinged approach to jazz, blues, country, and swing. He first drew notice in the closing years of the 1990s through his work with Devil in a Woodpile and with Jimmy Sutton & the Four Charms. On his own, Paterson issued a series of traditional-blues tribute recordings: Down at the Depot in 2002, Go Lightnin' in 2005, and A Chicago Session in 2008. He has also appeared on projects by JD McPherson, Pokey LaFarge, and the Cactus Blossoms. His profile grew further with the 2018 seasonal release Hi-Fi Christmas Guitar and with Let It Be Guitar! Joel Paterson Plays the Beatles. During 2023 he returned with Let It Be Acoustic Guitar! alongside Wheelhouse Rag, his initial collection of original fingerstyle compositions, and the following year he produced and performed on Los Angeles singer-guitarist Annie Dolan's first album, Atta Boy Girl.
Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Paterson took up the guitar as a teenager after absorbing his mother's blues collection and later citing Lightnin' Hopkins and Robert Johnson as key influences. While attending college he began performing blues locally in Madison alongside harmonica player Jim Liban. At one such engagement he crossed paths with Chicago bassist Jimmy Sutton, at that time a member of the jump-blues and swing outfit the Mighty Blue Kings. Paterson relocated to Chicago by the late 1990s and first attracted attention as part of the country and old-time band Devil in a Woodpile. He and Sutton soon launched the Four Charms, whose repertoire blended original material with covers drawn from jump blues and rockabilly; the group issued two favorably received albums, Flatland Boogie in 2000 and Triskaidekaphobia in 2005.
Paterson's solo career opened in 2002 with the traditional-blues set Down at the Depot. Subsequent releases included Go Lightnin' in 2005 and A Chicago Session in 2008, the latter featuring pianist Carl Sonny Leyland together with longtime associates bassist Beau Sample and drummer Alex Hall. As a frequent collaborator of Sutton, Paterson contributed to many sessions at the bassist's Chicago studio Hi-Style, also overseen by drummer Hall, among them JD McPherson's widely praised 2010 debut Signs & Signifiers as well as recordings by Pokey LaFarge and the Cactus Blossoms. He reached a broader listenership with the 2018 holiday album Hi-Fi Christmas Guitar and, a year afterward, with Let It Be Guitar! Joel Paterson Plays the Beatles. In 2023 Paterson added a second Beatles collection, Let It Be Acoustic Guitar!, and unveiled Wheelhouse Rag, his first entirely original fingerpicked album. The next year he joined forces with Los Angeles singer-guitarist Annie Dolan, serving as both producer and musician on her debut Atta Boy Girl.
