Genre: Folk/Acoustic/Americana, Pop/Rock
For fans of: David Wilcox, John Mayer, MercyMe, Charlie Peacock
Label: Two Fish

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"It wasn't about the money," Joe Rogness states flatly. "What concerned me was that my career really became about the 'chase,' about being the guy who hit the homerun and brought in business for the company—I needed to feel necessary," he says, in recounting his decision to jump off the corporate ladder, abandoning an enviable career in sales that was poised to offer the young executive a very comfortable early retirement.

The same confidence, drive and ability to tackle challenges that made Joe such a successful businessman are the qualities that now, in the new light of Christ's calling, bring him humbly into the world of ministry though music, a path that seemed unlikely—even crazy—a little more than a year ago.

The breaking point for Joe came following a ski trip in the quiet mountains of California, where he was able to spend some time away from the 'rat race,' seeking God and listening in His presence. "I didn't have my laptop with me and my cell phone was out of range, so I was really able to disengage for the first time in a long time," Joe says. "When I got back to the airport and listened to the messages and looked at the e-mails that had accumulated, they seemed insignificant to me. During that time of finding rest in God, I believe I just kind of woke up to what my life really needed to be about."

Looking back, Joe can see that God began preparing his heart and nurturing his musical gifts for this surprising life change long before his revelation in the mountains. A self-taught guitar player with several years of piano instruction under his belt, Joe wrote his first song in high school, a tribute to a friend killed in a car accident. However, it was after hearing a recording by David Wilcox during college that Joe remembers first having the desire to pursue music as more than just a hobby. But the business world was calling, and Joe put his dreams on the back burner for a few years—until God would not allow him to hedge any longer.

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