Papa Joe is a singer/songwriter living in the small college town of Oxford, Ohio, about 25 miles north of Cincinnati. He didn't start playing in public until he was in his early 50's, and wrote his first song at age 55. Since then, he has written many songs, some serious and many just plain silly. He has a CD out called Open Mike, (Click on Albums). He also performs at various venues in the tri-state (Ohio/Kentucky/Indiana) area.
[Photo by Wendy Duvall]
Latest News
Papa Joe has lately connected with Brad Monti, another singer/songwriter, to form a duet called The Elderly Brothers. We have been performing at various venues in the Ohio/Indiana area.
Similar Artists
Ramblin' Jack Elliot, John Prine, Tom Paxton
Influences
Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Tom Russell, John Prine, Tom Paxton, Bill Morrisey, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Jimmy Buffet, Townes Van Zandt, Chris Smither
Bio
"Papa Joe" Kretschmer was born exactly one week before Paul McCartney, June 11, 1942. Unlike many musicians, Papa Joe didn't begin performing until he was nearly fifty. He had played guitar as a hobby since his 20s, but recently learned to play banjo and harmonica to round out his musical performances. He began writing songs in his mid-fifties, and published his first songs as a part of the duo, the Ditch Lilies, with Mark Weierman. The duo broke up amicably in 2000, and since then Papa Joe has published his own CD, Open Mike, a compiliation of 24 songs, originally published as two CDs by the now-defunct MP3.com. Papa Joe is retired from his day job, so now he devotes his time to his family and his music, playing at local coffeehouses and festivals.