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American Shaker elder and composer, best known for writing the iconic Shaker song 'Simple Gifts'.Born in Cumberland, Maine, Joseph Brackett spent his entire adult life as a dedicated member and elder of the Shaker community in Sabbathday Lake, Maine. Though he held leadership roles within the community, his lasting legacy stems from composing the song 'Simple Gifts' in 1848, a simple yet profound expression of Shaker values that achieved global recognition centuries later.

• Brackett composed 'Simple Gifts' (originally titled 'Tis the Gift to Be Simple') while serving as an elder at the Shaker community in Alfred, Maine, before moving back to Sabbathday Lake.
• The song remained relatively obscure within Shaker circles and American folk tradition for nearly a century after its composition.
• Its melody achieved worldwide fame in the 20th century, most notably through Aaron Copland's use of it in his orchestral suite 'Appalachian Spring' (1944), transforming it into an emblem of American simplicity and spirituality.
• Despite the immense popularity of his song, Brackett himself lived and died within the confines of his Shaker community, adhering strictly to their principles of celibacy, communal living, pacifism, and equality.
• He never married or had children, dedicating his life entirely to the Shaker faith and the work of the Sabbathday Lake community.