User:Syrinx95/Joe Jencks

Joe Jencks (born 1972 in Rockford, Illinois) is an American folk musician, guitarist, singer/songwriter, and recording artist. He is known as an interpreter of song, and for merging social consciousness and spiritual exploration into all of his songs. In 2010 Jencks co-founded the folk trio Brother Sun, with singer-songwriters Greg Greenway and Pat Wictor.

Biography
Joe Jencks was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois. The youngest of seven children, he grew up in a musical household where family concerts were common. He graduated from Boylan Central Catholic High School in 1990. While a resident of Rockford, Jencks regularly performed around town in concerts hosted by Charlotte’s Web Productions, Rock River Friends of Folk Music, and the Rockford Park District. Jencks also sang in a number of productions at Starlight Community Theater. As a boy, he was a member of KANTOREI, The Singing Boys of Rockford, and was a member of Dorothy Paige-Turner’s Black Theater Ensemble. Jencks went on to earn a degree in Vocal Music Performance in 1994 at Millikin University, in Decatur, Illinois.

After college Jencks moved to Seattle, Washington where he began his career as a full time touring singer/songwriter. His travels have taken him across the United States to venues like Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kerrville Folk Festival – Kerrville, TX, Old Town School of Folk – Chicago, and the Library of Congress American Folk Life Center. His touring has also taken him to Canada, Ireland, and to the Eastern Caribbean where Jencks was a “Musical Ambassador” for the US State Department. In 2010 Jencks co-founded the folk trio Brother Sun, with singer/songwriters Greg Greenway and Pat Wictor, and the band released three full albums and toured extensively.

In addition to touring, Jencks hosts a monthly internet Radio Show "My Highway Home" on the www.FolkMusicNotebook.com and he is a sought after educator. He regularly speaks on topics including History of Labor Music, Social Justice ,Incorporating music into the classroom, and music business topics. He also gives songwriting workshops, guitar instruction and vocal instruction. Jencks currently resides in DeKalb, IL

Awards and Recognitions
2017 #1 Album - Poets, Philosophers, Workers, & Wanderers - Sirius XM / The Village - Americana Chart

2017 #1 Album - Poets, Philosophers, Workers, & Wanderers (May 2017) - North American Folk DJ Chart (FOLKDJ-L)

2017 #1 Artist (May 2017) - Folk DJ

2016 - Brother Sun: Weights & Wings - Album of the Year 2016 FOLKDJ-L - North American Folk Music Chart

2016 #3 Song FOLKDJ-L for 2016 - Joe Jencks/Brother Sun: Mary Don't You Weep & Moan

2016 #1 Song - April 2016 Joe Jencks/Brother Sun: Mary Don't You Weep & Moan

2015 #1 Song - December 2015 - Joe Jencks: The Longest Night of The Year (pre-Release from: Poets, Philosophers, Workers, & Wanderers)

2013 - #1 Song of the Year - Lady of the Harbor - Folk DJ - North American Folk Music Chart

2013 - Brother Sun - Album of the Year 2013 - FOLKDJ-L - North American Folk Music Chart

2011 - Brother Sun - Best of 2011 - WUMB Boston

2011 - Brother Sun - Best of 2011 - WFUV - NYC

2011 - Brother Sun - Best of 2011 - WFMT - Chicago - The Midnight Special

2008 - Kerrville Folk Festival ~ New Folk Finalist

2008 - Dirty Linen Magazine’s Best of 2007

2007 - Falcon Ridge Folk Festival - Emerging Artist Showcase, NY

2005 - Songwriting Contest Winner - Plowshares Songwriting Competition - Phoenixville, PA

2005 - Songwriting Contest Winner - South Florida Folk Festival, Margate, FL

2004 - Songwriting Contest Winner In Two Categories - Walnut Valley Music Festival, Winfield, KS

2004 & 2003 - Songwriting Contest Winner - Tumbleweed Music Festival, Richland, WA

Discography
SOLO RECORDINGS RECORDINGS WITH BROTHER SUN

Articles

 * Saginaw News Article May 6, 2010 (