Biographical Information
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Dean Phelps's love of folk, gospel, and Americana music dates back to his childhood in Kentucky. His father was a skilled carpenter and an engineer but also a self-taught musician. "If it had frets, he could play it," Phelps says.
"One evening—I must have been about 9—I had Dad’s guitar just strumming strings," Phelps recalls. "He took my left hand and said, 'Put this finger here and this finger here; now that’s a G,' and I’ve pretty much been playing in G ever since!"
From that time when he first picked up a guitar and learned the shape of a G-chord, Dean has made music to bring enjoyment to anyone willing to listen. His folk style, positive demeanor and family-friendly repertoire make his music appropriate in a variety of venues, including churches, coffee shops and restaurants.
Influenced by a number of singer songwriters like John Prine, John Denver, Nanci Griffith and Kate Wolf, Phelps describes his music as “an acoustic blend of folk, gospel and Americana.” Dean sings songs that are both religious and secular and has made several original arrangements of traditional hymns and songs of the Christian faith.
The songs he sings tell stories about people, life and faith, and Dean hopes that his music helps people see the sacred in everyday life. Although his repertoire is not composed exclusively of gospel music, his faith runs through each song.
At the University of Kentucky, he majored in music and directed church choirs before and during his time as a seminary student at Candler School of Theology in Atlanta. Following seminary, Dean was ordained to Christian ministry in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He served three congregations in Georgia prior to moving to Indiana in 2005.
Doc Possom of Indy Folk News writes: "Dean is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He is Reverend Dean Phelps, with no apologies, but although he's a Reverend, he's not very churchy. He is a regular guy with a fun repertoire, a relaxed manner, nice picking, and a friendly way of putting a song across!"