Songwriter, Singer, Player
Big Joe
"I will play any song from any genre if I can pull it off with an acoustic guitar and Harmonica" Big Joe Kinser. A Des Moines based songwriter, Big Joe writes lyricly rich songs that are by turns humourus & poignant. Big Joe's warm baritone moves seamlessly from playfullness to pathos, and he fills out each song with soulful harmonica. For the last 30 years Big Joe has played around Iowa, and in Colorado, Nebraska, South Dakota & Wyoming. Big Joe Kinser grew up in Red Oak, Iowa where he sang in church & school choirs. After relocating to Des Moines and a multi-year hiatus to raise a family he started singing again in his church choir. He also started playing upright bass & guitar at bluegrass jams in garages & front rooms all over central Iowa. In the early 2000’s he started writing and performing original songs, stretching out into other musical genres. He honed his vocal chops in church choir and his guitar playing under the mentorship of the incomparable Bob Pace. Big Joe has played in several bands including; Cross Connection, Sweet William, Home Grown Tomatoes, the Black Dirt Ramblers, the Bluegrass Fools,the Kinsers (with 2 of his kids, Gabe & Grace), the Funn Brothers, Four Mile Creek, Big Joe & the Ramblin Drifters, Big Joe & Jen and the Sunday Morning String Band. In 2012 Big Joe & his musical partner Jen Hughes started the Big Joe Kinser band as primarily a Western Swing band.
“ It’s the most frustrating of syndromes. It goes like this – there’s an immensely funny and entertaining singer-songwriter that fans know as being just that. Then you put your ears on for real and realize the writing is superlative, the singing dulcet, the playing swinging. Hey Big Joe fans – listen closely to this mans work, as he is far more than the terrific comedy tunes you think you know him for..”
Vance Gilbert- nationally touring singer/songwriter
www.vancegilbert.com
the Band
The Big Joe Kinser band occupies that space between country, rock, folk & blues. Along with Big Joe penned originals, they put their own sonic flavor on favorite songs from a broad spectrum of genres. Big Joe, Grace & Jennie make this band a harmony powerhouse. Expect this multi-generational band to touch music from the 60’s to the 2020’s.
Big Joe- guitar, Harmonica, vocals, Grace Kinser- guitar, vocals, Jennie Hargrove- bass, vocals, David Bellegante- fiddle
Grace kinser
Grace grew up singing in church and at home. In middle school & high school she played in an acoustic trio with her brother & dad, switching between guitar, violin & upright bass. She minored in theater with emphasis on vocal performance in college. She brings her years of experience to bear as lead & harmony singer while playing her custom painted vintage Yamaha electric.
Jennie Hargrove
A multi insrumentalist, Jennie has been singing and playing most of her life, starting out on piano at age 5 & teaching herself upright bass at age 14. She studied fiddle with David Bellegante. She studied upright bass & musical performance at Eat Tennessee University's Bluegrass, Old time & Country Music program. Since buying an electric bass guitar in 2024 She's enjoying stretching out and being able to play some of her favorite radio jams in the Big Joe Kinser band. She brings multiple influences, powerful harmony & lead sensibilities and the same abundant energy as in all her endeavors.
David bellegante
David is a 12 time Iowa State Fair Grand Champion fiddler and has been inducted into both the Iowa old time country music and iowa Bluegrass Halls of fame. In the Big Joe Kinser band David brings an incomparble feel to genres not necessarily affiliated with fiddle.