Joel Paterson

Joel Paterson

Joel Paterson is a United States musician based in Chicago, known for guitar, vocals and steel guitar. He fronts The Modern Sounds, a Chicago rhythm trio with Beau Sample on string bass and vocals and Alex Hall on drums and vocals.

Career

Paterson is originally from Madison, Wisconsin, and has lived in Chicago for many years. He performs traditional American music across several styles, including classic blues, hot jazz, western swing and rockabilly. In addition to The Modern Sounds, he has played with Jimmy Sutton’s Four Charms and The Wabash Jug Band, and he is also a member of Devil in a Woodpile, Kelly Hogan & The Wooden Leg and The Western Elstons.

The Modern Sounds

The Modern Sounds is described as a “big little band” dedicated to traditional American music. The group performs regularly around Chicago at venues including The Green Mill, Buddy Guy’s Legends, The Hideout, Pete Miller’s and Fitzgerald’s. Alongside Paterson, the line-up includes Beau Sample, who is from San Antonio, Texas and spent time on the Austin music scene before moving to Chicago, and Alex Hall, a Chicago drummer and recording engineer.

Other work

Paterson, Sample and Hall also found Ventrella Records. The label issues recordings connected with the trio, including a release featuring The Modern Sounds backing boogie-woogie pianist Carl Sonny Leyland.