Isaacs, Joe

JOE ISAACS

  • From Big Hill, Kentucky.
  • 1988, formed (with his wife Lily) The Isaacs.
  • Before forming The Isaacs, Joe worked with Larry Sparks, The Stanley Brothers, Frank Wakefield and the Greenbriar Boys. He plays banjo and guitar.
  • 1970, Joe’s brother Delmer died in an auto accident, which led Joe and his wife Lily to devote their lives to singing Gospel music. Their first band was called The Calvary Mountain Boys. Next came Sacred Bluegrass (this group had a TV show in Hamilton, Ohio) and later the Isaacs.
  • 1995, recorded a duet album of gospel music with Ralph Stanley called Gospel Gathering (Freeland Records).
  • 1999, Joe left the Isaacs and has since recorded several solo projects including Dreaming Of Home (2003, Mountain Mill Entertainment). He and Lily divorced.
  • 2003, had open heart surgery.
  • 2010, Joe married Stacy York, a traditional bluegrass singer who has worked with the Cumberland Highlanders and the Hazel Holler Girls. They perform together as “Joe and Stacy Isaacs.”
  • 2011, John Bowman recorded a tribute to Joe Isaacs called Family Chain (Mountain Home Records).