04 Aug 2023
The 4,115 miles that young troubadour Josh Okeefe traveled from his birthplace to his current home of Nashville, Tennessee, tell just one small part of a nomadic life in music which actually spans generations and encompasses myriad genres, traditions and disciplines.
Okeefe dropped out of school at age 16. Living briefly in numerous places including London and the seaside resort town of Brighton, Okeefe often slept on the floors of recording studios, music coffee houses and other small venues. After traveling to America in search of the places his music idols once roamed, he began writing songs at an astonishing pace.
Having travelled from Dublin to New York, from Nashville to London and Glasgow to California, Okeefe has shared stages with legends including Kris Kristofferson, Ramblin' Jack Eliott, Alison Krauss and Billy Bragg, among many others. In addition, he was invited by Bernie Sanders to perform at a 'Town Hall Meeting', and has appeared at a number of protest events.
A rebel artist, a protest singer, the heir to Bob Dylan, or – when he's doing one of his lighter satirical numbers – a harmonica-tootin' Mr. Bean… with raw, topical storytelling and a voice that crackles with authentic folk tradition, Okeefe is all of those and more.
Stephen L. Betts
