ABOUT Katie Jo

Kansas-born country artist Katie Jo blends down-home spirit with a scrappy coolness that’s drawn in audiences far and wide. She arrived on the scene like a little honky tonk tornado—with a vivacious on-stage bravado, a big voice, and vulnerable, break-your-heart lyrics. She’s quickly made a name as a high-energy live act as well as a sharp songwriter.

It’s landed her high-profile shows with legends Willie Nelson and Billy Joe Shaver and modern stars such as Charley Crockett, Flatland Cavalry, and more. New fans are instantly captivated with her bold stage presence, saying “I can’t believe that huge voice came out of that little lady.”

Her debut record, Pawn Shop Queen, was released in 2021 to national acclaim. The record melds up-tempo classic country, rockabilly, and honky tonk with raw honesty. While her songs may sound traditional, her stance is stepped in songs that are instantly real and relatable. As Saving Country Music praised, “Katie Jo has something to say that sticks in your mind, while the melodies and interesting song structures she brings haunt you keenly after hearing them.” Lonesome Highway noted the release as “a genuine country album, soul searching and written from the heart…a launching pad for an artist with vast potential.”

Since then, she’s hit the road to play wherever she can in venues big and small, touring extensively across the US and Europe and honing her craft living in both her modest Midwestern home of Wichita, KS and the west coast music circles of Los Angeles for over a decade. In late 2022, she collected her road-tested tunes and wide-ranging influences and moved to Nashville, TN, where she immediately started playing and paying her dues on Lower Broadway and the city’s in-the-know songwriter haunts.

Now working on her second record, she is set to bring her fire-burning honky tonk style to even bigger stages in 2024.

PRESS

“Katie Jo is a real sensation. She’s got an amazing voice and live she’s a showstopper.” — The Bluegrass Situation

“Dreamy, nostalgic and infectiously genuine” — American Songwriter

“Some songs are so perfect you can’t help but wonder how they happened […] the songwriter delivers this timeless song with such confidence that comparisons with Luther Perkins and early Cash are justified.” - AmericanaUK

“Katie Jo has something to say that sticks in your mind, while the melodies and interesting song structures she brings to certain songs haunt you keenly after hearing them.” - Saving Country Music

“Katie Jo has an approach sharp & delightful on her debut. She’s an edgy original. Easily a voice for road songs, & saloon tales.” - Americana Highways

“Pawn Shop Queen is a genuine country album, soul searching and written from the heart..a launching pad for an artist with vast potential.” - Lonesome Highway Magazine

“Damn, did the Los Angeles-via-Wichita artist ever own that stage. Her Patsy Cline-esque, smooth and melancholy delivery is enough to reduce the hardest heart to mush. It’s perfect.” - Music Connection Magazine Live Review

“Pawn Shop Queen offers a bit of optimism: a reminder that our worst moments don't define us, but make us stronger.” - The Boot.com

“Resplendent ... a brave modern Americana flair…creating a smoky portrait of country’s golden years.” — Glide Magazine