Joe Henry & the Julian Lage Trio

In June of this past year, I was invited down to Brooklyn to produce a new project for the supernaturally kind and gifted guitarist, Julian Lage.

The album that resulted, “Speak To Me,” is something of which I am profoundly proud; and as young master Lage will be showcasing that new music at this year’s Big Ears Festival, I had already prepared myself to be in attendance – for the sake of my own spiritual health and renewal, if nothing else.

But then came the notion of staging an additional show while together in Knoxville, on behalf of exploring a deeper collaborative relationship between us; and to that end, I’m thrilled that I will be joining forces with Julian’s trio to perform a set of my own songs on Sunday, the 24th (The Tennessee Theatre), at the civilized hour of 6pm.

Julian Lage may be a new friend to me, but he’s quickly become an indispensable one; a true soul connection. And with my songs in his hands, I can only imagine what his light may illuminate. 

-Joe Henry

In a career spanning more than 35 years, Joe Henry has left an indelible and unique imprint on American popular music. As a songwriter and artist, Henry is celebrated for his exploration of the human experience. A hyper-literate storyteller, by turns dark, devastating, and hopeful, he draws an author’s eye for the overlooked detail across a broad swath of American musical styles – rock, jazz and blues – rendering genre modifiers useless. Henry has collaborated with many notable American artists on his own body of work, from T Bone Burnett, Daniel Lanois, and Van Dyke Parks on one side of the spectrum, to Don Cherry, Ornette Coleman, Brad Mehldau, and Bill Frisell on the other. A three-time Grammy-winning producer, Henry has made records for Bonnie Raitt, Hugh Laurie, Lisa Hannigan, Elvis Costello, Rhiannon Giddens, and Solomon Burke among many others. Additionally, Henry has taken his musical talents to film and television. His 16^th solo album, All The Eye Can See, was released in January 2023.