Country singer and songwriter Joel Crouse was born Joel Thomas Crouse on June 14, 1992 in Springfield, Massachusetts, the son of a preacher, and his first singing was done as a child in church. Crouse credits his grandfather for his interest in country music, and combined with an interest in the narrative elements of songs by bands like the Eagles and Lynyrd Skynyrd, it forms the easy, rootsy background of his lyrics and style. Learning to play guitar and piano, Crouse wrote his first song when he was 14, started his first band when he was 15, graduated from high school when he was 16, and had nabbed a record deal with Show Dog-Universal Music before he was 20. His first single, "If You Want Some," was released by the label in 2013, with a second single, "Why God Made Love Songs," following early in 2014. ~ Steve Leggett