the story so far..

Joleen Brown is a singer-songwriter based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, though her story starts in east Oklahoma where she grew up with five older sisters, one younger brother, and a whole lot of noise and music in the house. She was born in Tennessee, but her family moved to Oklahoma shortly after, so that’s really where she’s from. Music was always around — her dad was a musician, and she and her sisters were always singing something. Joleen taught herself guitar on his old, cheap guitar that, for some unknown reason, had racing stripes and “Chevrolet” on the front. She learned G, C, and D and kept going from there. For a long time, playing guitar and writing little poems or jingles was just something she did privately.

When she moved to Tulsa at 18 to work and start college, music took a back seat. She went to OSU, earned her finance degree, and started her career at ONEOK a couple weeks after graduating. Music stayed personal — something she did at home, mostly for herself. It wasn’t until 2019, after her grandpa passed away, that she wrote her first real song, Oklahoma Rider. That one cracked something open, and she kept writing, slowly working up the courage to share her songs.

Her first live shows weren’t in Tulsa at all — in 2021, she started playing small-town cover gigs with friends. She didn’t step into the Tulsa scene until 2023, when she played her first solo gig at Blackbird (RIP). That show ended up being important. She met Steve Lidell, who introduced her to Donnie Rich from The Shrine, and Donnie started giving her opening slots for artists like Sunny Sweeney, Bri Bagwell, and even Thomas Howell. He also convinced her to enter the Tulsa Day Center’s Big Show Off — a talent show she had no interest in doing and fully expected to regret. She sent in a low-quality audition video and forgot about it. Months later, she got the callback, entered, and won.

Winning Big Show Off changed a lot. It helped her build confidence and connected her to people who would become a huge part of her musical life. Through the event she met Zach and Isaac Hanson and ended up recording for the first time with Isaac. The band he brought in for those sessions — Paddy Ryan, Jesse Aycock, and Aaron Boehler — later became some of her best friends and her bandmates. Not long after, she met Jacob Tovar, who also became an important part of her sound and community. Together, they pulled her into the Tulsa music scene, which she now describes as one of the biggest joys of her life.

Her debut album, A Good Place to Hide Away, came out on June 27, 2025 — the same night she sold out her album release show at Mercury Lounge, which she still thinks is pretty cool. She recorded the album in Norman with Grammy-nominated producer Wes Sharon, who brought in Turnpike Troubadours members Ryan Engleman, Gabe Pearson, and Hank Early. Guitarist Alan Orebaugh was there for every session too, helping guide her through the process. Joleen often says she doesn’t think she’ll ever find the right words to thank Wes and Alan for taking on the project and showing her the ropes.

The album art and supporting photos was created by Photographer, Jackson Adair, who had never designed an album before but jumped in anyway. The vinyls ended up with a tiny quirk on the cover, which is a small detail Joleen likes because it shows the album really was a homemade, community effort.

Her songs were later featured on Sterlin Harjo’s Lowdown, which she describes as one of the wildest and coolest experiences she’s ever had — something she never imagined happening.

These days, Joleen performs with her full band whenever she can: Paddy Ryan (drums), Jesse Aycock (bass/lap steel/electric), Jacob Tovar (electric guitar), John Fullbright (keys and accordion), and Aaron Boehler (bass when he’s not touring). They’ve had residencies at The Colony, are regulars at Mercury Lounge, and have spent a lot of time playing shows simply to learn how to play together — which she says was worth every minute.

Joleen didn’t set out to be a recording artist or to work in music at all. She’s taking things as they come, following what feels natural, and letting the community around her shape her path. She’s currently writing, playing whenever it feels right, and slowly building toward whatever comes next.