Biography
Born around 1970 in Atchafalaya, Louisiana, Richardson developed his guitar technique from age six onward by absorbing the sounds around him. During adolescence he began performing in rural southern Louisiana venues, frequently alongside his Richardson Brothers Band, which sharpened both his instrumental command and his command of the stage. While guitar and vocals remain central to his work, he is equally at home on harmonica, fiddle and steel guitar. For several years he has led the Joe Richardson Express from a base in Austin, Texas, where he remains a fixture of the city’s blues circuit; he has also brought his music to European audiences. Beyond his own group he has performed with the Austin outfit the Big Nasty.
Richardson supplies most of his own repertoire and has contributed material recorded by other artists, among them the co-written “Hundred Pounds Of Pain” (with Kent Dykes of Omar And The Howlers), “Killin’ In The Name Of The Lord” and “I’ve Seen The Devil.” Social and political themes frequently surface in his writing. Though too young for the Vietnam era, he composed several songs shaped by that conflict—“Never Get Over You,” “I’ll Be Going There” and “Medicine Man”—which, together with additional tracks, appeared on the soundtrack to the 2004 documentary In The Shadow Of The Blade.
Richardson supplies most of his own repertoire and has contributed material recorded by other artists, among them the co-written “Hundred Pounds Of Pain” (with Kent Dykes of Omar And The Howlers), “Killin’ In The Name Of The Lord” and “I’ve Seen The Devil.” Social and political themes frequently surface in his writing. Though too young for the Vietnam era, he composed several songs shaped by that conflict—“Never Get Over You,” “I’ll Be Going There” and “Medicine Man”—which, together with additional tracks, appeared on the soundtrack to the 2004 documentary In The Shadow Of The Blade.
Albums
