Here is what music insiders are saying about Joe Crookston
His CD, "Able Baker Charlie & Dog" received the most airplay of any folk acoustic recording and was awarded:
"Album of the year" by the International Folk Alliance in Memphis, TN.
"At every festival I hope to find the gift of one artist whose songwriting and preforming stand out. Joe Crookston was that gift for me this year at the Philadelphia Folk Festival. Stunning performance, great songs, and not a word wasted! I LOVE that!"
-- David Francey, Songwriter Ontario
"Notably, Crookston's no newcomer, and so it's no surprise that his music sounds savvy and assured, lacking any hint of pretense or needless redundancy. This is wonderful, engaging and gorgeous music, born from an artist who fully deserves a boatload of acclamation."
-- Lee Zimmerman - No Depression
"With all the performers out there, an artist has to go beyond good... and Joe does"
-- Sing Out Magazine
Singer, songwriter, guitarist, fiddler, banjo player, painter. As a performer, Joe Crookston is a true artist, painting compelling portraits of both the unsung and anti-heroes who populate the American landscape. From the depths of despair in the prison cell of high school dropout, Freddie "the Falcon", to high above the New York skyline where a window washer sings of his young child who thinks he can fly, Joe's masterfully crafted lyrics will take you on an emotional journey that will delight your ears and engage your heart.
Joe is a consummate storyteller and skillful musician whose dexterity on guitar, claw hammer banjo and violin to name a few, is sure to astound you. His songs have been performed and recorded by Irish harpers, a capella gospel choirs, solo artists, bluegrass bands and even by a certain Buddhist sect in France! His heart-wretching song, Blue Tattoo, based on the life of concentration camp survivor Dina Jacobson, was the inspiration for a documentary of the same name, and was featured this summer in a special news segment on ABC. Joe was awarded a year-long songwriting grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to travel throughout New York State, collect stories, and write original songs.
When not touring, Joe enjoys teaching and facilitating at songwriting workshops across the country. His impressive discography includes Georgia I'm Here (2014), Darkling & The Bluebird Jubilee (2011), Able Baker Charlie and Dog (2008), Fall Down As The Rain (2004).
