Joe Jencks, Celtic folk

Joe Jencks sings with a lyric baritone voice that has the edgy richness of a good sea-salt caramel. A 25-year veteran of the international Folk circuit, an award-winning songwriter and celebrated vocalist based in the Chicago area, Joe delivers engaged musical narratives filled with heart, soul, groove, and grit. Jencks has penned several #1 Folksongs including the ever-relevant Lady of The Harbor. Joe is also a dual US-Irish citizen and has served as a Cultural Ambassador with the U.S. State Department.

Jencks has just released his 17th recording, The Coming of the Years - an album that stands firmly in the modern Celtic traditions and is still quintessentially a Joe Jencks record. Centered around songs Jencks wrote while on tour in Ireland over a 12-year period, this album emerges as a synergistic blend of past and present. Jencks’ 2017 CD Poets, Philosophers, Workers, and Wanderers earned #1 Artist, #1 Album, and #1 Song on the North American Folk DJ Chart as well as spending several weeks at #1 on the SIRIUS XM Americana Chart. From Carnegie Hall to Lincoln Center to Festivals across the US and Canada, Joe Jencks has become a fan favorite throughout North America and beyond. www.joejencks.com.

If one can master a craft after investing 10,000 hours, Joe Jencks’ hours are showing! Jencks tells our stories, his story, and the untold stories, as only an American folk master can - with heart and unfettered perfection.” ~ MarySue Twohy, Program Director, SIRIUS XM Radio"

In these times, we need the singers who will do the homework and tell the stories! Joe Jencks is among the fine next generation singers who are ready to carry on the tradition as well as look into the future" ~ Holly Near

"The key to the future is people joining in. The music of Joe Jencks captures this essential spirit. Joe is a fantastic singer who carries on the traditions."  ~ Pete Seeger