A prolific and road-tested troubadour whose blend of jam-rock, rugged Americana, folk, pop, and country has played out over dozens of albums, Jerry Joseph is one of America's most enduring, though largely unsung, D.I.Y. singer/songwriters. After coming up in the late 1980s with Rocky Mountain reggae-rock cult favorites Little Women, he formed another project, the Jackmormons, in the mid-'90s as well as launching a solo career. During the next two-and-a-half decades, Joseph built up a prodigious catalog, maintaining the impressive pace of nearly an album per year either solo, with the Jackmormons, or supergroup Stockholm Syndrome. Most of these appeared on his own Cosmo Sex School imprint or on other small independent labels as he relentlessly toured North America, Europe, and regions like the Middle East and East Asia, year after year building up a devoted grassroots fan base. Joseph's charitable work has even taken him to Kabul, Afghanistan, where he taught a rock band school for children. Widely respected for his cathartic lyrics, passionate delivery, and nimble guitar work, he has enjoyed a long-standing relationship with legendary Georgia rockers Widespread Panic, who have covered a number of his songs, as well as the Drive-By Truckers, who backed him in the studio and helped produce his 2020 album The Beautiful Madness. Born in Los Angeles, Joseph's knack for troublemaking resulted in his parents sending him off to a boarding school in New Zealand, an event that in turn inspired the budding musician's affinity for world travel. Although the experiment helped sharpen his guitar-playing skills -- he began gigging professionally at 15 -- further misbehavior earned him a trip back to the U.S., where he landed in Arcata, California. Struggles with alcohol and drug abuse followed Joseph as he bounced around the country for much of his early twenties. In the 1980s, he formed the rock-reggae-psych outfit Little Women, who over time built up a significant following on the jam band circuits of the Western U.S., particularly in the Rocky Mountain region. In spite of their homegrown fandom, the group were unable to move beyond cult status and in 1993, after a handful of releases, they disbanded, leaving their final album unfinished. Joseph soon completed the album, which he released that same year as his solo debut, The Welcome Hunters. It contained the song "Climb to Safety," which became a set staple for his longtime friends and admirers Widespread Panic. After a follow-up record, Love and Happiness, he spent some time in New York getting sober and eventually found himself in Utah at the invitation of former Little Women drummer Jim Bone. Together they formed the Salt Lake City-based acoustic band Jethro Belt, which quickly evolved into the Jackmormons. Fronted by Joseph, the group released Butte, Mont. 1879 on the Holladay label in 1996, followed a year later by Cotton. After several changes in personnel, the Jackmormons settled into a trio format and stayed that way with assorted guest players hopping on board every now and then. Aside from 2000's solo outing Everything Was Beautiful, the bulk of the releases were credited to Jerry Joseph & the Jackmormons, including the 2002 highlight Conscious Contact, which was produced by Widespread Panic bassist Dave Schools. A couple of years later, Joseph and Schools formed another project, Stockholm Syndrome, which also featured Timbuk 3 drummer Wally Ingram and guitarist Eric McFaden. They made their debut with 2014's Holy Happy Hour, before Joseph returned to solo work. After years of working with small indie labels, Joseph founded his own imprint, Cosmo Sex School in 2006, inaugurating it with an archival live Little Women album. Various collaborative projects occupied the coming years including more Jackmormons and Stockholm Syndrome albums, a new project called the Denmark Veseys, and a duo set with Ingram. Joseph continued to tour widely, playing regularly in Europe, Asia, and even Central America. While the Jackmormons still satisfied his rock & roll itch, he often performed as a stripped-down acoustic solo act, and on his eponymous 2013 collection he reworked versions of 11 of his earlier full-band songs to reflect this approach. During this time, he also began volunteering as a teacher for a rock band school in Afghanistan. A reliably prolific songwriter, Joseph has penned songs all over the world, and albums like 2017's Weird Blood and follow-up EP Full Metal Burqa reflect his unique perspectives. Released in 2020, The Beautiful Madness saw Joseph working with alt-country heroes the Drive-By Truckers as his backing band. Produced by Patterson Hood, the album even featured a guest spot from former Trucker Jason Isbell. ~ Timothy Monger