Joe Henry is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer from Charlotte, North Carolina. Born in 1960, he grows up in the Detroit area before later building a career that spans alternative country, americana, singer-songwriter music, folk, jazz, rock and alternative styles.

Career

Henry moves to Brooklyn in 1985, where he plays small clubs. His debut album, Talk of Heaven, appears in 1986. He later signs to A&M Records and releases Murder of Crows and Shuffletown. After moving to Los Angeles in 1990, he leaves A&M in 1992 and joins Mammoth, an independent label based in North Carolina. On Mammoth he releases Short Man's Room and Kindness of the World, with instrumental backing from members of the Jayhawks.

In the mid-1990s, Henry shifts away from country-rock toward a more eclectic approach. He works with producer Patrick McCarthy on Trampoline (1996), which also features metal guitarist Page Hamilton. In 1996 he records a cover of Vic Chesnutt’s “Guilty by Association” with Madonna’s sister Melanie Ciccone for the benefit release Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation, The Songs of Vic Chesnutt. His 1999 album Fuse has trip hop elements, and Scar follows in 2001 with a largely jazz-based line-up including Marc Ribot, Brian Blade and Brad Mehldau, plus Ornette Coleman guesting on “Richard Pryor Addresses a Tearful Nation”.

Henry sings on Julia Fordham’s “Alleluia” from Concrete Love in 2001. His self-produced album Tiny Voices appears on Anti, the label imprint of Epitaph, in 2003. He then releases Civilians in 2007, Blood From Stars in 2009 and Reverie in 2011. Across his career he releases 12 studio albums.

Work as a producer

Henry also works extensively as a producer. He produces Teddy Thompson’s self-titled 2000 album, Solomon Burke’s Don’t Give Up On Me, which wins Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 2003 Grammy Awards, and a run of 2005 albums including Ani DiFranco’s Knuckle Down, Aimee Mann’s The Forgotten Arm and Bettye LaVette’s I’ve Got My Own Hell to Raise. He also produces the multi-artist album I Believe to My Soul, which includes performances by Allen Toussaint, Mavis Staples, Ann Peebles, Irma Thomas and Billy Preston.

In 2006 he produces Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint’s The River in Reverse. Around the same period, he and Loudon Wainwright III compose music for the film Knocked Up; instrumental snippets are used in the film, while the full songs later appear on Wainwright’s 2007 album Strange Weirdos. Henry also produces Mary Gauthier’s Between Daylight and Dark in 2007.

Collaborations and associations

Henry’s recordings and production work bring him into contact with a wide range of artists from country, folk, jazz and rock. His collaborators include Melanie Ciccone, the Jayhawks, Patrick McCarthy, Page Hamilton, Ornette Coleman, Julia Fordham, Loudon Wainwright III, Teddy Thompson, Solomon Burke, Ani DiFranco, Aimee Mann, Bettye LaVette, Allen Toussaint, Elvis Costello and Mary Gauthier.