Rafael began performing in showcases and small clubs around Southern California in the early 70s. In 1981, he toured with Jesse Colin Young, and released his debut album, Dharma Bums. Rafael won Kerrville’s new folk award in 1995 and gained national airplay with the seminal Joel Rafael Band. He composed and performed all original music for the LA Theatre Works production of The Grapes of Wrath in 2002 and toured the southwest with Joan Baez in 2003. No influence is more obvious in his work than that of Woody Guthrie, with whom he shares five co-writes, and Joel has been a featured performer at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival for all 27 years.
Joel Rafael
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