Nate Boots was born in Minneapolis and raised in a handful of small prairie towns in farming communities in southwestern Minnesota. The oldest of six children, he first made a name for himself playing basketball and then as a teenaged journalist for the Worthington Daily Globe. After travels—including an important half-year stay in Paris, France—he settled back in southern Minnesota for further study in writing and to raise a family. He co-founded The Porchlights, an alt-folk band, which released albums in 2014 and 2016, and Jim the Harpooner, which played sea chanties and Irish tunes. Currently, he plays both solo performances and ensemble performances with a band called The High Horses. Presently he lives in North Mankato with his three school-age children, who often play music along with him at home—and occasionally in public.