I remember listening to music as a child and I was always
captivated by the different sounds I was hearing. Obviously, I
didn’t know at that time how the sounds of the songs were all put
together, but I knew I had a very active interest in everything
musical.
In the early 1960’s, I was influenced by the writing of Brian
Wilson of the Beach Boys as I loved the way he arranged their
intricate harmonies. In the mid 1960’s, the Beatles arrived
on the scene and I was amazed by the three minute songwriting of
Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison. I bought a
guitar and learned to play by ear.
In the late 1970’s, after several years of performing in a
musical duo, during and after college, I began experimenting with
songwriting. At that time, I was heavily influenced by the
singer songwriters including John Prine, Paul Simon, James Taylor
and Gordon Lightfoot. I knew I enjoyed the songwriting process
and I kept working at it and reading everything I could find about
the subject.
I saw an ad in the Oshkosh Northwestern newspaper for a
songwriting meeting and I attended it, and as things turned out, it
was the first meeting of the Songwriters of Wisconsin (SOWI).
I met Tony Ansems that evening and I think there were a total of 13
attendees. Ironically, Tony and I are the only active founding
members in the SOWI organization.
To me, songwriting is all about telling stories. I really
enjoy communicating about human events in songs. Sometimes it
works and sometimes it doesn’t, but when it work’s, it’s very
rewarding.
I would describe my music as a cross between country and folk and
Americana. I don’t write positive, fluffy songs. I
write very realistic songs, often with a melancholic view about how
things happen to people in the real world. Take a listen and
tell me what you think. Contact me at joeypurtell@yahoo.com.
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