Originally from San Francisco, Joshua Howell began playing harmonica at the age of 14. As a teenager, he spent many nights sitting in with blues bands of the San Francisco Bay Area. He soon became the desired house harmonica player in clubs such as Eli's Mile High and Your Place Too, though his under-age status limited his exposure to only those clubs that could circumvent the age restrictions. During this period, he took up guitar, intently focused on learning the techniques of the Mississippi greats such as Fred McDowell, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, and RL Burnside. While living in Thailand, he honed his solo performances, taking on over 15 gigs a week. After three years playing professionally in Thailand's mountainous north, Joshua moved back to San Francisco where he formed the powerhouse blues trio, HowellDevine, which quickly became one of the Bay Area's favorite local bands, gaining praise from blues greats such as Charlie Musselwhite and Bonnie Raitt. After several releases with the famed roots label, Arhoolie Records, Howell continues to dig deep into the rural blues tradition, which he plans on sharing in his adventures south of the U.S. border.