Stephanie Jeffreys is a singer-songwriter from central Illinois now living and working in Columbus, Ohio. She grew up loving to sing her little heart out, but mostly just to herself. Finally, in her late 20s, she picked up a guitar left behind by an ex-boyfriend. She started teaching herself John Prine and Gillian Welch tunes and soon took a stab at writing her own songs.
Eventually she joined forces with another great local singer-songwriter talent, James Edwards, forming The Midnighters. In honor of her very first written song, “Troubled Soul” became the title for their first record, produced in 2006. Singing is her main affection but a little acoustic guitar gets her far enough both to craft powerful songs and to deliver solo shows when the opportunity presents itself.
The characters in her songs read like an American Gothic short story. They are usually troubled and heartbroken, often with a dark beauty lying just beneath the surface. Stephanie draws from her experience growing up in a small rural town where everyone knows you, and her music reflects the simple truths that are the common thread in all roots music, from traditional country and folk to blues and rock-n-roll. Many artists have strongly influenced Stephanie’s musical approach, including Emmylou Harris, Patsy Cline, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Lucinda Williams, Patti Griffin, and Neko Case.
As many artists do, Stephanie has kept her day job as a commercial artist, and she continues to play all the old and some of the new haunts around Columbus. She performs with her band the Midnighters, and she is also a part of a newly formed band, The Kits, a six-piece high-and-lonesome, sweet-and-low-down string band.
