Joel Rafael

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Joel Rafael
Background information
Origin	San Diego County, California
Genre(s)	folk, singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)	vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica
Years active	1994—present
Label(s)	Appleseed, Inside, Reluctant Angel
Associated acts	Jackson Browne Woody Guthrie Jimmy LaFave
Website	joelrafael.com
Members
Joel Rafael Band: Jamaica Rafael — violin, viola, & vocals Carl Johnson — acoustic lead guitar Jeff Berkley — percussion

Joel Rafael is an American singer-songwriter and folk musician from San Diego County, California.

Described as a natural interpreter of Woody Guthrie’s lyrics and music, nationally acclaimed songwriter Joel Rafael has recently released a new musical project to celebrate the songs of Woody Guthrie. Woodeye, Rafael’s fourth CD, was released on January 21, 2003 on Inside Recordings/9 Yards Records and distributed nationally by ADA. Produced by Dan Rothchild, Woodeye contains fourteen songs. Twelve were penned by Guthrie, one by Rafael, and one unpublished lyric - “Dance A Little Longer” - is a co-write with words by Guthrie and music by Rafael. The album also includes guest appearances by Jennifer Warnes, Ellis Paul, Van Dyke Parks, and Matt Cartsonis. “I really wanted to make a recording that would be a Woody Guthrie experience for a new audience: a collection of songs, both familiar and rare, that would bring Woody’s material within reach of the ears of today’s listeners,” explains Rafael. Considered one of the most refreshing new acts on the national folk festival scene, Joel and his acoustic band have been performing and touring the country for the last ten years. In 2000, the Joel Rafael Band—Joel Rafael, (lead vocals & guitar), his daughter Jamaica (violin, viola & vocals), Carl Johnson (acoustic lead guitar) and Jeff Berkley (ethno-percussion)—released their third album, Hopper on Inside Recordings, an independent label created by Jackson Browne and his management. This highly acclaimed album was nominated in 2001 for an Association For Independent Music–AFIM ‘Best Contemporary Folk’ award.^[1]

[edit] Discography

Joel Rafael Band (1994, Reluctant Angel)
Old Wood Barn (1996, Reluctant Angel)
Hopper (2000, Inside)
Woodeye: Songs of Woody Guthrie (2003, Inside)
Woodyboye: Songs Of Woody Guthrie And Tales Worth Telling, Vol. 2 (2005, Appleseed)