Joe Crookston

Joe Crookston was born and raised in rural Ohio, with Hungarian roots, polkas, Eastern European food and a little bit of Gypsy soul. In 1987, the Kent State Folk Festival changed his life. After hearing Harvey Reid and the Horseflies at the festival, Joe sold his electric guitar, bought a steel string and never looked back. He’s a fiddler and a clawhammer banjo player to boot.

Crookston was chosen as a Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Most-Wanted Artist and was featured on the Annual Falcon Ridge Preview Tour with 28 dates, from Club Passim to Kennedy Center. He was as a finalist in the Mountain Stage NewSong Contest, and received a year-long songwriting grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to travel throughout New York State, interview local residents, and write songs based on his experiences.

His CD ‘Able Baker Charlie & Dog’ was awarded 2009 Album of the Year by the International Folk Alliance and Jim Blum and Matt Watroba put ‘Darkling and the Bluebird Jubilee’ on their list of Best CDs for 2011.