Biography
Pokey LaFarge was born Andrew Heissler on June 26, 1983, in Bloomington, Illinois. His nickname came from his mother, who used to scold him to "quit being such a Pokey" as a slow-moving child[1]. He grew up steeped in his grandfathers' worlds, one a member of the St. Louis Banjo Club who put a guitar and tenor banjo in his hands, the other an amateur historian who fed his early interest in American history and roots music[1]. As a teenager he discovered blues musicians like Skip James and Sleepy John Estes, and after hearing Bill Monroe at sixteen he traded his guitar for a mandolin[1].
After graduating from University High School in 2001, LaFarge hitchhiked to the West Coast and spent his early twenties as an itinerant street performer, busking his way across the country. He connected with musicians Ryan Koenig and Joey Glynn in Asheville, North Carolina, and eventually settled in St. Louis, where he formed Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three with guitarist Adam Hoskins in 2009[1]. His self-produced debut album, Marmalade, had already appeared in 2006[1].
LaFarge's profile rose through the 2010s as he built a reputation for a throwback sound that fuses Americana, country blues, Texas swing, rock and roll, and jazz. He toured with Jack White, played major rooms including Red Rocks, Radio City Music Hall, and the Ryman Auditorium, won two Independent Music Awards for Best Americana Album, and made screen appearances in Boardwalk Empire and The Devil All the Time[1].
LaFarge married singer Addie Hamilton in Camden, Maine, on September 29, 2023, and the couple's first child arrived soon after[1][2]. The family now lives in Maine, a change of scenery from the St. Louis scene that shaped his early career, and LaFarge has spoken about how fatherhood reordered his priorities on the road, saying touring is no longer a decision he makes alone[2]. That new chapter, marriage, a child, and a home base far from where he started, runs through his 2026 album Rent Money, which he released on his own label, Boxer Boy Records, and which he has described as both a personal reckoning with what prosperity means and a piece of social commentary about the cost of living[2][3]. Hamilton contributes featured vocals on the record[3].
References
- Pokey LaFarge — Biographical background: birth name, upbringing, early career as a street musician, rise with the South City Three, and marriage to Addie Hamilton.
- Pokey LaFarge is bringing 'Rent Money' to St. Louis — Interview covering LaFarge's fatherhood, his family life in Maine, and his stated effort to redefine prosperity beyond money.
- Pokey LaFarge Keeps His Retro-Americana Spirit Alive on the Groovy 'Rent Money' (ALBUM REVIEW) — Review detailing the album's production by Elliot Bergman, its genre blend, and Addie Hamilton's featured vocals.