ARTISTIron & Wine

Iron & Wine is the name singer-songwriter Sam Beam uses for his music. Raised in South Carolina, he earned a bachelor’s degree in art from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond and a Master of Fine Arts from Florida State University’s film school. He had been writing songs for years and began recording them in his bedroom after a friend lent him a four-track recorder. Demos reached Jonathan Poneman of Sub Pop Records, which released The Creek Drank the Cradle in September 2002; the EP The Sea & the Rhythm followed in 2003. Beam’s 2004 album Our Endless Numbered Days was recorded in Chicago with producer Brian Deck. Later releases included the EPs Woman King and In the Reins, a collaboration with Calexico, and the 2007 album The Shepherd’s Dog.

Over the years, the project took several musical approaches. Kiss Each Other Clean was released in 2011, Ghost on Ghost in 2013, and Beast Epic in 2017, followed by the EP Weed Garden in 2018. In 2019, Beam renewed his collaboration with Calexico’s Joey Burns and John Convertino on Years to Burn. Later releases include Archive Series No.5: Tallahassee Recordings, featuring recordings made in 1998 and 1999, and the 2023 live album Who Can See Forever. Released in 2024, Light Verse features guest vocals from Fiona Apple on one track. Hen’s Teeth, released in 2026 and recorded during the Light Verse sessions, includes vocals by I’m with Her and Beam’s daughter Arden, making her recording debut.