Renaissance Man.

Award-winning singer-songwriter, published author, actor, neighbor.

Idaho-born, longtime East Nashville resident Korby Lenker takes a lot of chances. He’s long been a heavy-touring, award-winning singer-songwriter; in 2015, he added published author to his resume, and now, as creator and star of scripted series MORSE CODE,  Korby continues to define what it means to be an independent creative in the 21st century.

His live shows swing between a whisper and a shout, prompting tastemaker roots mag No Depression to note: "One of the most striking things about seeing Lenker perform is his relationship with his guitar. He doesn't just play it, he becomes it - or, maybe, it becomes a part of him.” 

And his approach to making records is, well, unorthodox. Lenker recorded his latest batch of songs in his native Idaho, in various places important to him as a child - the Snake River Canyon, Craters of the Moon, in a small cabin north of Sun Valley. Letting the natural landscape set the tone, he recorded during the day and slept in a tent at night. The result, Thousand Springs, earned, among other accolades, a 4 star review from MOJO Magazine, who dubbed his effort “Scintillating songwriting from a travellin’ man.”

And Lenker is funny. For evidence, look no further than his video Unfortunate Peer Review, in which his friends (luminaries like Rodney Crowell, Kenneth Pattengale from the Milk Carton Kids, Mary Gauthier and many more) lovingly skewer Lenker’s music and personality.

A book nerd and avid reader since childhood, Korby’s prowess with prose is now part of the public record. His collection of short stories, Medium Hero, came out December 2015 on Turner Publishing and received critical praise from such variegated sources as National Book Award-winning author Tim O’Brien, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, and Kirkus Reviews. 

Most recently, Lenker turned his efforts toward the small screen, creating a scripted show loosely based on his life as traveling singer-songwriter. Lenker wrote, produced and starred in an independent web-series called MORSE CODE (watch the 6 minute pilot here). The Tennessean called it “charming and dryly funny”. Over the course of 4 self-produced episodes, Lenker enlisted the help of more than 120 people. A family tragedy halted that effort in the summer of 2019. But late in the year, industry players convinced him to develop his quirky cast and story for a large audience. MORSE CODE is now in development as a half-hour scripted dramedy. Stay tuned.

Lenker maintains a busy schedule of independent releases via his Patreon page. Patrons enjoy early access to everything Korby creates - Songs, short stories, essays, and instructional videos. He is currently at work on his new album Man in the Maroon, and has been releasing the songs for that album - as soon as he makes them - exclusively to Patrons.