Josh Joplin Group was an American Georgia-based pop music band led by singer-songwriter Josh Joplin. Joplin, a self-proclaimed "dork" who nonetheless dropped out of school in tenth grade to become a folk singer like his hero Phil Ochs, brought the group its trademark combination of introspective lyrics, folk-rock melodies, and lead vocals that, to many, sound identical to those of R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe (to the point that one Joplin song, "Happy at Last," begins, "I sound like Michael Stipe and I dream like Carl Jung").