Joel Alden White
Joel Alden White is a Cowboy singer/songwriter and actor from West Texas. Seven-time nominee in the IWMA, twice nominated in the AWA and recipient of the Academy Of Western Artist 2023 Song Of The Year, and once nominated in the WWA winning the pur award 2026 for Roads & Barbwire. Joel has cowboyed and managed ranches in West Texas, been a Yard Manager for a West Texas Commercial Feedyard and a cattle buyer in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Arizona. Currently Joel is “technically” retired spending time with his wife, Kelly, in their home in Timbercreek Canyon just outside of Amarillo, making music, traveling, performing, and acting. White’s first 2 albums found success on the Roots Americana Country Charts with singles charting as high as a #1 and 2, #2’s. At this time his EP “Once I Was A Cowboy” has been in the top 30 Album chart for the IWMA for the last 2 years. The title song, Once I Was A Cowboy was the #1 song on the summer 2024 IWMA Western Radio chart. Joel Song Once I Was A Cowboy was the Academy of Western Artist’s song of the year in 2023. As an actor Joel has appeared in the movie “Down the Arm of God”, and is a recurring background actor in the role of a “Staten Ranch Cowboy” in the Netflix series, “Ransom Canyon”, and Continueing Yellowston series “Dutton Ranch”.
A Little History
I could tell you that I was born in West Texas, my father was mostly Scotch Irish decent. How he was the only man I knew who could tell a story better than my grandfather. He had the most beautiful baritone voice and would often sing at Sunday morning services. How I loved to hear him sing but I hated to hear he was going to sing because he would often require me to accompany him on piano. My mother on the other hand could hardly hold a tune but her German father I believe was a musical savant. He could play any instrument that he could hold, he played the trumpet for the likes of the Lawrence Welk band during the big band era. I could tell you how during my adult life I have change careers about every 3 to 5 years. Careers like cowboying on ranches that measured themselves, not by acres, but by square miles, to buying cattle, managing a feedyard, owning construction companies and even a commercial laundry. But that stuff is boring.
I would rather tell you about the music in my life. From my earliest memories there was music in our home. Beethoven or Herb Albert and the Tiajuana Brass would be spinning on Dad's old turn table, Roger Miller would be singing about "The King of The Road" or Burl Ives would tell how "Bill Grogan's Goat" flagged down a train. Then the Beatles happened. They were my gateway drug. Dylan, The Stones, Iron Butterfly, CCR, CSN&Y, Cream, Cocker, Allman Brothers, Hendrix, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath. None of that bubble gum crap for me! Then I heard Guy Clark. The drug had changed.
I needed to hear songwriters, but not just any writers or any old songs. I needed a country beat. Songs that spoke of real folks, folks that I knew. I needed to hear Jerry Jeff, Prine, Fromholz, BW, Kristofferson, Emmylou, Pure Prairie League, Flying Burrito Bros, Lucinda, Nancy Griffith, Steve Earle, Townes, Cash, Jones, Waylon, Ray Wylie, Chris Knight, Hayes Carll, John Moreland and on and on. Don't get me wrong, Beethoven still moves me to tears, and Rock and Roll will never die.
I was surrounded by music and by friends who played and wrote music. I had no choice but to write songs.