Album Notes

About the Artist:    
Joel Gothard spent most of his adolescent years in rural Nebraska, hunting, fishing, and working outdoors on the small farm where he was raised.   Born into a musical family,  he cut his  teeth on some really old Americana type music with a little bluegrass, classical, jazz, country and rock thrown in there from time to time.  " I can remember playing the spoons on stage at the age of three or four at the Senior Center with my family.  So I never really felt out of place performing in front of people."  Some of Joel's most influential performers include Marty Robbins, Faron Young, Jim Reeves, Mark Knopfler, Sting, and more recently; David Crowder, Jeremy Camp, Sarah Kelly, and Third Day.         
  Joel has received several song writing awards in the last couple years while performing at music festivals throughout Nebraska and Wyoming. He was a featured performer at Heritage of the American West in Spearfish, South Dakota in February of 2007 and again in July of 2008.  These performances were also broadcast live on radio and world wide web on the Jim Thompson Live show.  He has won many regional vocal contests as well, including first place Male Vocalist 2006  at the Coal Country Fiddle Contest held in Gillette, Wyoming, first place Male Vocalist, first place Songwriters, first place Karaoke, and first place Peoples Choice Award at this years 38th Annual National Country Music Festival in Ainsworth, Nebraska. He also entered the Colgate Country Showdown Contest as a duo, “On Solid Ground” , with fellow Wyoming singer/songwriter Lew Vasquez. They placed first in the local competition held in Sheridan Wyoming and competed for the state title in Colorado Springs, CO September 6, 2008.       
Joel's unique writing style and wholesome lyrics combined with an emotionally captivating tenor voice and beautiful renditions of popular cover tunes, have earned him a following at each new venue he performs in his home region of the Rocky Mountain West. 
Joel is available as a solo act or as a duo with friend and fellow songwriter Lew Vasquez. They are very versatile and put on a wonderful, clean show that the entire family will enjoy.