Pokey LaFarge
| Pokey LaFarge | |
|---|---|
Pokey LaFarge
Reutlingen/Germany May 2, 2012 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Andrew Heissler |
| Born |
26 June 1983 Bloomington, Illinois, United States |
| Origin | St. Louis, Missouri, United States |
| Genres | American folk, American roots |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, mandolin |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Associated acts | Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three, Jack White, JD McPherson, Old Crow Medicine Show, Rum Drum Ramblers, Maximum Effort |
| Website | www |
Pokey LaFarge (born June 26, 1983 in Bloomington, Illinois) is an American musician and songwriter focusing on the American roots genre. As of 2016, he tours with a 6-piece band consisting of Joey Glynn (bass), Adam Hoskins (guitar), Ryan Koenig (harmonica, washboard, and snare drum), Luc Klein (trumpet), Alec Spiegelman (clarinet, saxophone) and Matthew Meyer (drums).
LaFarge was born Andrew Heissler in Bloomington, Illinois. It has been noted that the nickname “Pokey” was coined by his mother, who would scold him to hurry when he was a child.
LaFarge took an interest in history and literature during his childhood, and was greatly influenced by his grandfathers. One was a member of the St. Louis Banjo Club, who gave Pokey his first guitar and tenor banjo. The other, an amateur historian, taught LaFarge about the American Civil War and World War II.
LaFarge always wanted to be a writer, and had a keen interest in American literature. He enjoyed the writings of John Steinbeck, Ernest Hemingway, and Jack Kerouac. As a teenager, LaFarge combined his appreciation for history and writing with his discovery of blues music.
In his early teens, while he was living in Normal, Illinois, LaFarge first heard blues in a local pizza parlor run by a man named Juice who played artists like Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon. He soon discovered an appreciation for older blues artists, like Skip James, Robert Wilkins, and Sleepy John Estes. After hearing Bill Monroe at age 16, Pokey traded the guitar his grandfather had given him for a mandolin.
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