- - Jesse Welles: Keeping the spirit of American folk music alive

Robert CostaFebruary 1, 2026 at 11:25 PM

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The story of America can be told through the lyrics of folk music – songs of the Great Depression, the civil rights era, and the social revolutions of the 1960s. As folk singer Pete Seeger put it in 1967, "A song isn't a speech; a song is not an editorial. If a song tries to be an editorial or a speech, often it fails as a song. The best songs tell a story, paint a picture, and leave the conclusion up actually to the listener."

And if you're wondering whether folk music is still relevant today, take a listen to Jesse Welles. He is 33 years old, with a voice older than his years, and a message that speaks across generations:

It ain't the banks And it ain't the taxes It ain't the payday loans and the high rent homes And predatory fees and practices …

If you worked a little harder Then you'd have a lot more So the blame and the shame's on you For being so damn poor, yeahFrom "The Poor"

Folk singer Jesse Welles performing at Webster Hall in New York City. / Credit: CBS News

If it seems fitting right now to have a guy with six strings singing about the times, Welles said, "Every dog has its day!"

Well, it's your own damn fault you're so damn fatShame, shame, shameAll the food on the shelf was engineered for your healthSo you're gonna have to take the blameFrom "Fat"

Welles can be soft-spoken in person, but behind the microphone he sings loud and clear. He takes aim at anyone he thinks takes advantage of working people – the "folks" in folk music.

There ain't no "you" in UnitedHealthThere ain't no "me" in the companyThere ain't no "us" in the private trustThere's hardly "humans" in humanityFrom "UnitedHealth"

At a Greenwich Village record store last fall, Welles dug through his musical roots, and his mother's influence: "She really liked Crosby, Stills and Nash, and she liked Fleetwood Mac," he said. "She liked pretty, pretty music. But no one was really talking about Dylan. So, I suppose that was maybe the first solo space mission I flew, was to go and find, like, some hard folk music."

Correspondent Robert Costa with Jesse Welles at Generation Records in New York City. / Credit: CBS News

He was in New York to perform on CBS' "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," where he chose a song that speaks to the unease some feel about our moment in history:

Join ICE,Boy, ain't it nice?Join ICETake my adviceIf you're lackin' control and authority,Come with me and hunt down minoritiesJoin ICEFrom "Join ICE"

Welles is up for four Grammy Awards Sunday, recognition that this troubadour from Ozark, Arkansas, never expected, especially considering his talents seemed to be more on the football field rather than the stage.

He wasn't always comfortable with his voice, which his sister said sounds like burnt toast. "But burnt toast is still edible!" he laughed.

With that simple and direct "'burnt toast" sound, Welles gets millions of views on social media.

War isn't murderGood men don't dieChildren don't starveAnd all women survive

War isn't murderThat's what they sayWhen you're fighting the devilMurder's okayFrom "War Isn't Murder"

He tapes himself, alone in the Arkansas hills, with lyrics that can seem ripped from the headlines, as in "No Kings." But he laughs when asked if he sees himself as a political figure: "A political … ? Wow! No!"

Those songs got their start in his spare bedroom-turned-studio, where he played for us a new one:

I knew a man, his only wishTo answer to no one, drink like a fish.He worked real hard and he got it all.There was plenty to drink, and no one to call.

If you look down the road, you'll see the sunAnd it makes time, as you take time,Just to end where you've begun.

I've got peace like a river.I've got time.I don't need a thingThat ain't already mine.From "Peace Like a River"

Asked what he's trying to say in his songs, Welles replied, "I can't tell you what it means. Like, it's up to everybody. Nobody is going to paint anything and tell you, 'This is what I mean when I painted this.' You know, that's no fun. That takes away your experience."

Welles has been embraced by legends of folk and rock. He recently performed with John Fogerty, and late last year he went into the studio with Joan Baez, bridging generations and bringing in new audiences.

Joan Baez and Jesse Welles perform "Don't Think Twice It's Alright" at The Filmore in San Francisco:

For Jesse Welles, it is his way of keeping the spirit of American folk music alive. "I think it's important that it doesn't go away," he said. "It's something that you know has been going on, it's been going on for centuries and centuries. You wake up one morning and you go, this is what I do. This is what I was supposed to do."

You can stream Jesse Welles' Grammy-nominated album "Under the Powerlines (April 24 – September 24)" by clicking on the embed below (Free Spotify registration required to hear the tracks in full):

For more info:

Jesse Welles (Official site)Jesse Welles on YouTubeThanks to Generation Records, New York City

Story produced by Ed Forgotson. Editor: Carol Ross.

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