Amos Lee

The 27-year-old former schoolteacher grew up going between Philadelphia, PA, and a suburb, Cherry Hill, NJ. "I've been fortunate to have had the opportunity to see a few sides of life in this country."

Amos entered the University of South Carolina in 1995, where he began to play acoustic guitar and write songs. "I met my kind of people in there: down-to-earth, sincere folks who didn't belong to any club. They were all musicians, and they taught me how to treat my music with sincerity and integrity."

After graduating college with a degree in English, Amos returned to Philadelphia where he taught elementary school. His desire to pursue music as a career forced him to make the difficult decision to leave teaching. To earn a living he waited tables, tended bar, and continued writing songs.

"I started playing open mikes and getting some feedback. I started feeling a little more confidence." A self-released EP with five of his original songs made Amos "one of the area's most-talked-about emerging talents" according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, and was followed by a second, seven-song disc (both sold out on their initial pressings). "The time between when I stopped teaching and when I got signed was a beautiful, fun time."

Having had the honor of opening shows for such legends as Bob Dylan, BB King, and Mose Allison, Grammy winning Norah Jones invited Amos to open her 2004 European tour. Equipped with only his voice and guitar, Amos found himself facing 3,000-5,000 listeners a night -- and up to three times that number when he joined Ms. Norah's 56 date US tour that same year. 2005 finds Amos about to embark on an eight week major city run with "The Bob Dylan Show" featuring Bob Dylan and Merle Haggard. The remainder of the year will be spent performing in Europe, Japan and finishing out 2005 with a fall tour of the US. And yet, night after night, he pulled it off. In their concert review the Los Angeles Times referred to Amos as a "writer and singer with enough personality to charm a crowd impatient for Jones to take the stage." The Albany Times-Union praised Amos's "charming and soulful solo set"; the Seattle Post-Intelligencer heard him blend "a folksy, flannel-and-denim sound with sultry R&B."

"My favorite time in music is probably 1970-75. Still Bill by Bill Withers, Harvest by Neil Young, John Prine's first album, James Taylor's One Man Dog—I hope I can bring the same sort of spirit I hear on those records."

Singer/songwriter Amos Lee draws inspiration from such soul and folk artists of the '70s as Bill Withers, John Prine, Neil Young, and James Taylor. The Philadelphia native first became serious about performing while attending the University of South Carolina during the mid-'90s. After graduating, the English major taught elementary school before deciding to pursue a music career full-time. A period of waiting tables and bartending followed as Lee honed his songwriting skills. Eventually, he landed some high-profile opening-slot gigs including an extended tour with pianist/vocalist Norah Jones. He released his eponymous debut album on Blue Note in 2005 and his sophomore effort, Supply and Demand, in 2006. Last Days at the Lodge followed in 2008. ~ Matt Collar, All Music Guide