Michael Jerling is an American acoustic folk singer-songwriter. He was born in

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

and attended

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. His association with Fast Folk Musical Magazine in New York's Greenwich Village led to his song, "Long Black Wall", being included in a

Smithsonian Folkways Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was fou ...

CD celebrating twenty years of Fast Folk. Jerling has won several awards for his music including winning the prestigious

Kerrville Folk Festival The Kerrville Folk Festival is a music festival held for 18 consecutive days in the late spring/early summer at Quiet Valley Ranch near Kerrville, Texas. The Kerrville Folk Festival was founded in 1972 by the husband-wife team of Rod Kennedy an ...

's "New Folk" competition. Jerling recorded two albums on the Shanachie label, and two on Waterbug Records. He currently records on his own label Fool's Hill Music. He has collaborated with several musicians including Bob Warren,

Tony Markellis Tony Markellis (10 September 1952 – 29 April 2021) was a bassist and record producer, born in Helena, Montana, to a Turkish immigrant, Constantine Markellis, and the daughter of Greek immigrants, Victoria Carkulis, residing in Saratoga Springs, ...

, and Teresina Huxtable and recorded and produced albums for Lorne Clarke, Mike Quick, Huxtable, Christensen & Hood, Mark Tolstrup and Mallory O'Donnell. Jerling resides in

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

, and has close ties to the historic Caffe Lena. He continues to perform his original songs on six and 12 string guitar, mandolin and harmonica.

Discography

* ''On Top of Fool's Hill'' (1979) * ''Blue Heartland'' (1985) * ''My Evil Twin'' (1992) * ''New Suit of Clothes'' (1994) * ''In Another Life'' (1997) * ''Early Jerling'' (1998) * ''Little Movies'' (2002) * ''Crooked Path'' (2007) * ''Music Here Tonight'' (2009) * ''Halfway Home'' (2014) *Family Recipe (2018)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jerling, Michael Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American folk musicians American male singers American folk singers American male songwriters University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire alumni Guitarists from Illinois Songwriters from Illinois American male guitarists Waterbug Records artists