Digital Rodeo

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Joe Zelek is quickly earning a reputation as both an engaging songwriter and spirited live performer that audiences can instantly relate to. A "guy with a guitar" that combines his high-energy yet easy-going stage presence with songs that have first time listeners singing along by the second chorus, Joe stands out as both a fresh sound and personality in today’s country music scene.

Joe has shared the stage with a long list of country music's finest including Phil Vassar, Jack Ingram, Gretchen Wilson, Ronnie Milsap, Tracy Lawrence, Taylor Swift, and fellow Ohio Valley-native Brad Paisley. He has appeared at many of the largest venues throughout the tri-state area of Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania and had the distinct honor of opening 2007's legendary Jamboree In The Hills Festival in front of tens of thousands of people. Joe was also the only independent artist to make the "Top 98 Songs of 2006 Countdown" on 98.7 WOVK with his single "Homecoming King" which has cracked the regular rotation on stations throughout OH, WV, PA, NY and nationally on XM Radio’s Nashville Channel.

His latest single, "Jamboree In The Hills," has been adopted as an annual tradition at the festival of the same name that is one of the largest and most unique country music events in the nation. The song has been added to radio station playlists throughout the eastern part of the country and is a top seller at regional Wal-Mart stores.

His latest full-length album, Sparkling True, is a classic "windows down, radio up" album tailor made for a bright sunny day or for turning anything less into one. The album seamlessly blends both classic and modern country influences with engaging lyrics and catchy melodies resulting in a listening experience that is as rewarding as it is fun.

Joe was raised in a rural area just outside of Mt. Pleasant, OH. (The Quaker religion has deep history there as does the Underground Railroad.) Baseball and dirt bikes ruled his life along with drumming and 80’s Rock Bands, but country music in particular provided the soundtrack to his upbringing in the Ohio Valley.

“Some of my earliest memories are of listening to Jamboree USA live broadcasts on WWVA from across the river in Wheeling, WV while riding in the back of my parents’ white Grand Prix,” says Joe. “Whenever I hear a classic artist like Johnny Cash or Willie Nelson, it takes me right back to the brown leather interior of that car and the beautiful sound of AM radio crackling on a humid summer night."