Joe Chaplain is a classic, all-American singer-songwriter in the grand tradition. I love to play guitar, sing and write songs. I perform live regularly with my band, The Joe Chaplain Band (JCB), formed in March, 2009. Guitars, bass, drums and sax, we play all styles of American popular music. http://www.joechaplain.com

I've won three songwriting awards in the last three years: two Honorable Mentions two years running in the 2009 and 2010 Billboard International Songwriting Competitions; and one in the 2008 John Lennon Songwriting Contest.

Joe Chaplain Bio

Joe Chaplain was born in Detroit Michigan, USA, about the time Elvis Presley started shakin' his boo-tay.

Undaunted, Joe sang in the church choir for eight years and took piano lessons. In high school he picked up the blues harmonica, guitar and flute, and later learned bass and percussion.

In 1972 Joe moved to San Francisco and played in many bands over the years. One of his most memorable gigs was with the Jerry Garcia Band in Golden Gate Park, to a crowd of 20,000 where Jerry told him "Enjoy this, man. It doesn't get better than this." Joe also toured with the seminal San Francisco industrial trio Factrix, playing throughout the United States to sold out clubs, including CBGB and Max's Kansas City.

Joe moved to Sonoma, California in 1992. There in the peaceful beauty of the Valley of the Moon, Joe returned to his acoustic singing and songwriting roots. Owing to his work as a chaplain for California law enforcement, prisons and hospice, a completely fresh stream of songs started to flow early in 2004. This resulted in the solo album "Jump Your Heart" released in January 2005.

Joe's second solo album "Icarus" was just released on October 14, 2008. He's finishing up his third album to be released in Spring 2009.

For the past ten years Joe has played regularly in Sonoma County at Little Switzerland, the Sonoma Community Center, The Barking Dog coffee houses, The Farmers Market, Sebastiani Theater, Andrews Hall, Center of the Universe Cafe, and a host of annual benefits and gatherings at wineries and local halls.

The Joe Chaplain Band was formed in March, 2009, and has been playing to packed houses from the very first show.