While working at a pawn shop in Austin, Joe Lewis first picked up the guitar. Shortly thereafter, Joe Lewis immersed himself in the local Red River blues/garage scene, recording and performing with Austin musicians including the Weary Boys and Walter Daniels. Upon the release of the 2005 Brian Salvi produced
Black Joe Lewis and The Cold Breeze EP with standout track "Bitch I Love You" featuring
Matt Hubbard on Rhodes electric piano and the 2007 album
Black Joe Lewis, both released on Italian label Shake Yo Ass Records, the band gained critical national acclaim and toured as openers for
Spoon and
Okkervil River in 2007. The band signed to
Lost Highway Records in 2008. Following the signing and performances at 2008's
Lollapalooza and
Austin City Limits Music Festival, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears released a four-song
EP on January 27, 2009. Their debut album ''Tell 'Em What Your Name Is!'' was released on March 17, 2009. It was
produced by Spoon's drummer
Jim Eno. Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears have performed at music festivals including
Bonnaroo,
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival,
Bumbershoot,
Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival,
Sasquatch! Music Festival,
Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival,
Musikfest,
Latitude Festival, and
Splendour in the Grass. The band has appeared on
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,
Late Show with David Letterman,
Austin City Limits, and
Later... with Jools Holland. Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears were featured in
Echotone, a 2010 documentary about the Austin, Texas music scene. On August 25, 2013, Joe Lewis stated on NPR that he was trying to shed the 'Honeybears' portion of the band's name, and had never intended for it to continue for so long. In 2017, his album
Backlash debuted at number 3 in the
Billboard Top Blues Albums Chart. ==Discography==