Biography
Born 1970, in Atchafalaya, Louisiana, USA. Richardson taught himself to play guitar from the age of six, listening avidly to the music of his surroundings. As he entered his teenage years, he was playing clubs in rural areas of southern Louisiana, often as a member of his Richardson Brothers Band, rapidly gaining in technical skills and stage presence. Playing guitar and singing are at the core of his skills but he also plays harmonica, fiddle and steel guitar. Leading his own band, the Joe Richardson Express, Richardson has been based for some years in Austin, Texas, where he is prominent on the local blues scene. He has also toured Europe. In addition to playing in his own band, Richardson has also played with Austin band the Big Nasty.
Richardson writes much of his own material, and also has written songs used by others, including ‘Hundred Pounds Of Pain’, co-composed with Kent Dykes (of Omar And The Howlers), ‘Killin’ In The Name Of The Lord’ and ‘I’ve Seen The Devil’. Richardson often takes social and political issues as topics for his songs. For example, although he post-dated the Vietnam War he wrote several songs inspired by it, including ‘Never Get Over You’, ‘I’ll Be Going There’ and ‘Medicine Man’. These and others were used on the soundtrack of the documentary film, In The Shadow Of The Blade (2004).
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Band Bios
Joe (vocals/guitar/harp)
Born in southern Louisiana's Atchafalaya River Delta, playing has been a way of life from an early age. At the age of 6 his grandfather gave him a guitar from a pawn shop, and he taught himself to play. Learning quickly and putting in untold hours of practice made it possible for Joe to start playing the clubs of south Louisiana at the young age of 13! Years of stage experience in many varied types of musical genres has allowed him to develop his unique and rather unorthodox style of writing and playing. Submerging himself totally in his music is what drives and has driven his very existence for as long as he can remember.
Richard Lamm (drums)
Richard Lamm is the drummer "extrardinaire" for the Express.Having been raised in and around Austin, Richard says he's been in too many Austin acts to think about. Richard has also done extensive road work both in the US and abroad.
John Wolfe (Bass)
Born and raised in Pittsburgh Pa., John learned the ropes under the strong blue collar, R&B/Soul influences of that area. After relocating to Florida, he worked with numerous touring bands from the blues label "King Snake Records". From Florida his touring took him, for a short stint, to the blues clubs of the Myrtle Beach S.C. area. Hearing about the music scene in Austin, John decided to give Texas a try in the spring of 2003, and the Express is glad he did!
From JRS's MySpace:
The Joe Richardson Express continue to amaze and delight their audiences.
Lyrically, the songs are deliciously poignant and intelligently expressed observations of the foibles of the human (or not so humane) race.
The range of their musical exploration continues to expand. Every twist from blues to rock to jazz leads into a new direction for their creativity to metamorphosize.
Richard Lamm and John Wolfe are with Joe at every snapping synapse, reveling in the connections they create together. When the three start to play, they seem to plug into each others' psyche----mentally, emotionally and spiritually. The "JRE 3" slip into "the zone" together; smiling at the same time, frowning at the same time...........one wonders how many lifetimes they have played together.
Joe, Richard and John seem to inspire, challenge and fire each other to the next level, where ever that is. The non stop exchange of energy between the boys in the band makes each performance a fresh experience.
No matter where you've been with JRE before, next time they'll reprogram the rhythm of your heart and redirect the flow of your blood.
Website: Joe Richardson Express
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.