Willi Carlisle

Introduction to Willi Carlisle

Willi Carlisle is a poet and a folk singer for the people, but his extraordinary gift for turning a phrase isn't about high falutin pontificatin, it's about looking out for one another and connecting through our shared human condition.

Background and Influence

Born and raised on the Midwestern plains, Carlisle is a product of the punk to folk music pipeline that's long fueled frustrated young men looking to resist. After falling for the rich ballads and tunes of the Ozarks, where he now lives, he began examining the full spectrum of American musical history.

Musical Style and Instruments

With guitar, fiddle, button box, banjo, harmonicas, rhythm bones, and Willis booming baritone, this is bonafide populist folk music in the tradition of cowboys, frontier fiddlers, and tall tale tellers.