Jordan Messerole at Dog-Eared Books for Maximum Ames Music Festival

From the depths of his Iowa roots, multi-award winning songwriter J. Jeffrey Messerole writes songs that vary as greatly as the wild flowers in the native tall grass. Messerole does frequently write about that flora, as well as the fauna of the region. Not to mention all of it’s wild life. Not one to shy away from subject matter, the songs can frequently meander across the lines between love and loss, success and failure, or life and death. Messerole masterfully blends the sounds of his guitar with thoughtful lyrics, an engaging stage presence, and often rack harmonica to tell gritty American tales that are bound to evoke emotion from all of his listeners.

2016 – Rural Roots Music Commission “Contemporary Folk Album of the Year” Kingsnake’s Bite

2017 – Rural Roots Music Commission “Traditional Folk/Americana Album of the Year” Halfway Home

2018 – No. 6 on the “Americana Highways Reader’s Poll” Greetings From Rock Bottom

2022 – Iowa Public Radio’s Artist of the Month (May)