Sweet said songwriting is “unavoidable” for him.

“To hear the band play my songs is the greatest thing for me.”

Although Sweet and his wife do the bulk of the creative work, Slow Joe Crow has no designated “leader.” Sweet acknowledged his good fortune in connecting with the like-spirited musicians who make up the band. Jonathan, Brooke and drummer Scott Gross have played together since 1999. Goins joined the band about seven months ago.

“My wife has a ton a talent,” Sweet said, adding that the group has begun to include “praise and worship” music in their performances and on their albums, much of which takes advantage of Brooke’s vocal style.

In contrast to her husband’s hard-rocking approach, Brooke wraps the lyrics in a sweet, almost lilting soprano that would not sound out of place on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry.

Her first instrument was the violin, but she picked up the bass a few years ago without missing a beat.

jonathan and brooke sweet

If you were born in the late 50s or early 60s, you might remember this: “Who sews crow’s clothes? Sue sews crow’s clothes. Slow Joe Crow sews whose clothes? Sue’s clothes.”

That tongue-twister is from “Fox in Socks,” one of the 50-odd children’s books published by Theodor Geisel, better known to generations of Americans as “Dr. Seuss.”

“That was always my favorite Dr. Seuss book,” Jonathan Sweet, Slow Joe Crow’s songwriter and vocalist said. “Slow Joe Crow just seemed like a great name for a band.”

It may be an unlikely name for a Christian rock band, but Sweet’s passion for the music is easy to explain. A love for the gospels is in the blood.

“My dad’s a pastor, and my granddad’s a pastor.”

Sweet writes most of the group’s song lyrics, although some are co-written with his wife, Brooke.

“They’re definitely a good team,” lead guitarist Jeff Goins said.

Sweet, whose gruff singing style embodies a hint of Springsteen, first became seriously interested in music as a teenager.

“When I was about 15, I went to Central America and Panama on a missionary trip called ‘Teen Mania.’ There were about 30 of us, and we were there for about a month,” he recalled.

“Listening to the music down there – it was overwhelming! I told myself that when I got back I’d learn to play the guitar, and I learned over the next three or four years.”

Sweet said songwriting is “unavoidable” for him.

“To hear the band play my songs is the greatest thing for me.”

Although Sweet and his wife do the bulk of the creative work, Slow Joe Crow has no designated “leader.” Sweet acknowledged his good fortune in connecting with the like-spirited musicians who make up the band. Jonathan, Brooke and drummer Scott Gross have played together since 1999. Goins joined the band about seven months ago.

“My wife has a ton a talent,” Sweet said, adding that the group has begun to include “praise and worship” music in their performances and on their albums, much of which takes advantage of Brooke’s vocal style.

In contrast to her husband’s hard-rocking approach, Brooke wraps the lyrics in a sweet, almost lilting soprano that would not sound out of place on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry.

Her first instrument was the violin, but she picked up the bass a few years ago without missing a beat.

Scott Gross moved back to East Tennessee in 1993 after living in Phoenix, Ariz., for several years. He’s been playing Christian music since about 1985.

“I felt God leading me in that direction,” Gross said. He characterized Slow Joe Crow’s style as “mainstream rock with an acoustic side.”

Jeff Goins plays lead guitar for the group. If Slow Joe Crow was a B-movie, Goins would be cast as the “strong, silent type” who lets his instrument do his talking. What he did say came from the heart.

“Even if we only reached one person” it would be worthwhile, Goins said. It’s all about “being able to deliver a positive message.”


Slow Joe Crow has independently produced two albums, the self-titled “slow Joe crow,” followed by “Overboard,” and several songs for their next release are nearing completion.

They can pump you up with classic rock licks or touch your heart with tender lyrics, but for Slow Joe Crow, “it’s not for the money,” Sweet said. “I’d love to see people be blessed by the music.”