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Jake Xerxes Fussell

North Carolina singer and guitarist Jake Xerxes Fussell brings a unique voice to traditional folk music, interpreting it with a refreshing candor that is neither throwback, nor modernist. During his first decade as a recording artist, he has created his own musical lane, often with the help of interesting and sympathetic collaborators. His eponymous William Tyler-produced debut introduced fans to his distinctive fingerstyle playing and laid-back take on traditional American blues and folk songs. Over the coming years, Fussell's sound evolved with albums like What in the Natural World (2017) and Out of Sight (2019) revealing an idiosyncratic approach full of gentle mirth and inventive playing. Working with producer James Elkington, his fourth album, 2022's Good and Green Again, was the first to feature any original compositions. After switching from longtime label Paradise of Bachelors to Fat Possum, Fussell teamed up with Elkington again for 2024's When I'm Called. The son of a folklorist, curator, and photographer, Fussell led a somewhat rambling childhood traveling with his father to record old bluesmen, study the cultural vernacular, and collaborate with Native American artists. These early ventures into rural academia birthed in him a great interest in music, and by his teenage years he was active in the old-time folk scene of his native Columbus, Georgia and apprenticing with regional blues guitar legend Precious Bryant. Over the coming years, his studies would take him to California, Mississippi, and eventually Durham, North Carolina. He honed his guitar skills sitting in with numerous artists and bands, appearing on A Prairie Home Companion, and touring with Rev. John Wilkins. In 2014, he met experimental guitarist William Tyler, who agreed to produce his first album. A collection of lesser-known traditional folk and blues songs, Fussell's self-titled debut was recorded in Nashville and released by North Carolina label Paradise of Bachelors. A few years later he deepened his study of obscure American material with a follow-up LP, What in the Natural World. Released in 2017, its guests included Joan Shelley, Nathan Salsburg, and Mount Moriah's Casey Toll, among others. Fussell's third album for Paradise of Bachelors, 2019's more expansive Out of Sight, featured a full backing band consisting largely of new collaborators like Libby Rodenbough, James Anthony Wallace, and Nathan Bowles. Moving into the next decade, Fussell's reputation as a uniquely expressive folk interpreter had gained momentum. He forged a partnership with Chicago-based musician and producer James Elkington who helmed his fourth album, 2022's Good and Green Again. As with Out of Sight, it featured a richer full-band sound as well as collaborators like Bonnie "Prince" Billy and Joe Westerlund. It also marked Fussell's first entry into original compositions. After nearly a decade as a mainstay on Paradise of Bachelors' roster, Fussell signed with the Fat Possum label for his next record. With Elkington again producing and Tucker Martine mixing, 2024's When I'm Called featured some of Fussell's most elaborate arrangements to date. In addition to traditional fare like "Who Killed Poor Robin?" and the sea chantey "Gone to Hilo," he adapted eccentric cowboy artist Maestro Gaxiola's "Andy" as well as a found note, written by a child, that provided most of the lyrics to the title track.
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Discography

13 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller

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