Joe was raised mostly in the southern Appalachians, in North Carolina, and absorbed the music almost from the time he could walk.
Joe is unusual for this day and age, perhaps because he has devoted himself to the music in which he was raised: the music of the Southern Appalachian and Ozark Mountains of America. In this, he follows the tradition established by such sterling performers as Grandpa Jones, Uncle Dave Macon , and others of the "Old Timey" Country Music era.
He doesn't stop at this however! He is equally at home in popular Country music, writes songs about space exploration, and plays Irish, Scots, Bluegrass and Medieval/Renaissance music with equal facility.
He began learning banjo at age 9, after he heard his maternal grandfather, C. H. Burnett, playing fiddle. His first banjo was given him by his grandfather, and was "an old S.S. Stewart." Joe still has this banjo.
When his family moved to Phoenix for the final time, in 1961, Joe began learning guitar, hanging around coffeehouses, mariachi bands, bluegrass groups, and a place called "J.D.'s," where he would sneak in to listen to a local guy called Waylon Jennings. With the "folk boom" of the '60's just hitting it's stride, he found that all that music he had learned as a child stood in good stead.
His first "real pro" gig came at age 18. The Phoenix acoustic scene was active and thriving and Joe hung out with people (then unknowns) like John Denver, the Irish Rovers, and Jim Connor ("Grandma's Feather Bed") and with some of the best in Dixieland, Ragtime, and traditional Mexican musicians.
He spent a stint with a local bluegrass band, "Ma Tucker's String Band," playing with Jeff Gylkinson ("The Dillards") and Doug Haywood (keyboard player/songwriter for Jackson Browne).
He also worked with noted entertainer Dan "Igor" Glenn in several bands. Joe credits "Igor" with teaching him much about the entertainer's art.
In 1968-1969, Joe worked in L.A. as a studio musician, where he made his first record, "The Joe Bethancourt String Concert Album." It was very favourably reviewed by BILLBOARD magazine ( 28 Feb. 1970 ), and given a four star rating. He has some fascinating stories about the "name" musicians he met while he was there.
Joe came back to Phoenix, where he became influential in the original KDKB underground radio "scene," hosting his own radio show on KDKB, "Folk Music Occasional," with (the late and much lamented) Bill Compton.
He was also a regular on the Emmy award-winning "Wallace and Ladmo Show" on KPHO-TV (Ch.5) in the 1980's, and worked with children in the Arizona Commission for the Arts' "Artists in Education" program for about 6 years. He still does occasional Artist Residencies at local elementary schools.
For almost 17 years, he was the "house band" at a little restaurant at 19th Ave. and Bethany Home Rd, in Phoenix, called "Funny Fellows," playing instruments from his enormous collection of traditional ( and not so traditional ) instruments. He is not above using electric instruments, however. His use of the electric-acoustic guitar must be heard to be believed .... and his use of the sythesized guitar is simply amazing!
Some call him a seminal influence on the acoustic music scene in Phoenix, crediting him for much of their style and technique.
He plays no less than 65 different instruments; from his beloved banjos (yes. plural! He has one of the finest collections of antique banjos in the Southwestern United States, and uses them on stage!) to 12-string guitar, all the way to more exotic things like Mando-Cello, Celtic Harp, Lute, Double-Neck Guitar, and Ozark Mouthbow!
The songs range from old ballads and "party" songs that he learned from his family to modern pieces and original compositions.
It becomes obvious that this is a consummate entertainer when you hear him shift from a "
murder ballad" of the 1870's, played on a 100 year old banjo with gut strings, to a version of the Bill Monroe classic "Uncle Pen" that will bring you right out of your chair with the speed of his Gatling-gun flatpicking on the guitar. The dry delivery of stories of mountain life, his famous "blank look" of astonishment at the punchlines, and his infamous left hand going totally out of control on the banjo will leave you helpless with laughter.
And then he picks up the Celtic Harp .... and the world goes away! Due to his love of Irish and Scottish music, he has developed a repetoire of Celtic music, both ancient and modern.
He has been called in as a consultant on a book about the history of the banjo in America that is being written on behalf of a major American historical foundation, and is getting some attention on a national level for his songs about space exploration. He was also Toastmaster at the 1992 ConChord musician's convention in L.A., and is in great demand at similar conventions.
He was also nominated for the (Arizona) Governor's Arts Award, and his recordings are now on file at the University of East Tennessee's Appalachian Archives Folklore collection.
He is now operating his own production company, White Tree Productions, and recording both solo, with another noted songwriter, Leslie Fish, and with the neo-Celtic band The Bringers, all for Random Factors of Los Angeles.
For an acoustic musician to use a guitar synthesizer -and- other "black boxes" in his shows, and use them expertly and well without compromising the acoustic nature of his performances is something interesting indeed.
This is an ENTERTAINER, not just another guy with a guitar ... and one with a solid following in the Valley of the Sun, years of experience, and a reputation that is unmatched in Phoenix.
