Iron & Wine

Describing the three main themes of his work as "God, love and death," Sam Beam -- the South Carolina native behind Iron & Wine -- is a longtime songwriter steeped in rustic back-country Americana, heart-melting folk lullabies, and a willingness to continuously evolve. Born on July 26, 1974, he became a professor at the Miami International University of Art & Design and initially only wrote songs as a hobby. When his four-track recordings made their way to indie label Sub Pop, though, it led to the release of his debut album The Creek Drank the Cradle in 2002. Taking his Iron & Wine moniker from a dietary book recommending "beef, iron and wine," his Southern Gothic indie folk ballads were honed on breakthrough record The Shepherd's Dog in 2007 . His sound adopted 1970s soft rock influences with 2011's Kiss Each Other Clean. That album proved a huge success, reaching number two in the US and marking the evolution from his scratchy, DIY singer-songwriter roots to the force of a full band with a vivid, fuller sound that drew comparisons to Wilco, Fleet Foxes, and Elliott Smith.

2013's Ghost On Ghost was also well received and made the US Top 30, and Beam went on to record a covers album with Band of Horses frontman Ben Bridwell and collaborate with folk-jazz singer Jesca Hoop, before returning with a new Iron and Wine album, Beast Epic, in 2017. He collaborated with Calexico on 2019's Years to Burn before resuming his solo project with 2024's Light Verse.