They say that good things come to those who wait. A little over a year after their launch, you could say that Cardinal Black are testament to the power of patience, thought and persistence…
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
There are few artists whose names are synonymous with one instrument and how it’s played in service to an entire genre.
Utter the phrase “young blues rock guitarist” within earshot of anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the modern musical vanguard and the first name they are most likely to respond with will be Kenny Wayne Shepherd. The Louisiana born axeman and songsmith has sold millions of albums while throwing singles into the Top 10, shining a light on the rich blues of the past and forging ahead with his own modern twist on a classic sound he has embodied since his teens.
Blackberry Smoke
American rock band Blackberry Smoke – Made up of Charlie Starr (vocals, guitar), Paul Jackson (guitar, vocals), Richard Turner (bass, vocals), Brit Turner (drums) and Brandon Still (keyboards) – has become known for a singular sound indebted to classic rock, blues, country and folk. Since their debut in 2004, the Atlanta-based band has independently released six full-length albums and toured relentlessly, building a strong and loyal community of fans.
Christone Kingfish Ingram
Since the release of Kingfish, his Grammy-nominated 2019 Alligator Records debut, guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Christone “Kingfish” Ingram has quickly become the defining blues voice of his generation. From his hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi to stages around the world, the now 22-year-old has already headlined two national tours and performed with friends including Vampire Weekend, Jason Isbell and Buddy Guy (with whom he appeared on Austin City Limits)
Ruthie Foster
With a naturally expressive voice that has drawn comparisons to greats like Aretha Franklin and Ella Fitzgerald, Texas-based singer and songwriter Ruthie Foster has a wide palette of American song forms — gospel and blues to jazz, folk, and soul — and her live performances are powerfully transfiguring. Foster grew up in Gause, Texas, a small town in the Brazos Valley southeast of Dallas, and even as a child she was fascinated by music; she listened to everything she could, hearing and absorbing not just gospel and blues, but also the country and pop songs she heard on the radio
King King
King King spent their first few years touring the blues circuit in the U.K., but an impressive live show at the Monahan Blues Festival in 2010 propelled them to a new level. The following year, the band had recorded and released their debut album, Take My Hand. Receiving positive reviews from the press and their ever increasing fan base, the album also earned the four-piece the British Blues Award for Best Album.
Jimmy Vivino
Jimmy V has produced, lead bands and recorded with a countless number rock and roll and blues artists for five decades including the likes of Hubert Sumlin, Warren Haynes, Bob Weir, Keith Richards, Elvis Costello, Johnnie Johnson, Son Seals, Shemekia Copeland, Levon Helm, Phoebe Snow, Dion, Laura Nyro, Bob Margolin, Lowell Fulson, John Sebastian, Joe Louis Walker and Al Kooper to name a few. When not producing, recording or touring with other artists, Jimmy still tours the country and the world with his own band and is due to release a new blues album later on this year (2022)
Laura Cox
Pioneer of the guitar on the internet, Laura Cox has led the way for many young guitarists and is now at the forefront of the current landscape of guitarists in France and beyond. From bedroom recordings of Sweet Home Alabama [Lynyrd Skynyrd] and alikes uploaded on YouTube as early as 2008, she gathered a loyal following of half a million subscribers and her re-interpretations of classic rock songs (that also feature her on the banjo, lapsteel or bass) have reached more than 100 million viewers across the globe.
Kirk Fletcher
Born and raised in Bellflower, CA, he built a foundation for the Blues in the Compton church where his father served as pastor. Inspired by his older brother Walter (seventeen years Kirk’s senior), he cut his teeth in front of the congregation, playing guitar regularly in the church until his early twenties. He eventually wound up touring as a guitarist in Kim Wilson’s Blues Revue and recording on Wilson’s Smokin’ Joint [2001], which garnered a GRAMMY® Award nomination. In between live guest spots for Cyndi Lauper and Michelle Branch, he performed on The Fabulous Thunderbirds’ Painted On. Other various highlights spanned a stint in The Mannish Boys and handling lead guitar for Eros Ramazzotti. He joined Bonamassa for legendary performances and live records, including Muddy Wolf at Red Rocks and Live at the Greek Theater. The latter notably bowed at #1 on the Billboard Top Blues Albums Chart.
DeWolff
A psychedelic blues band from the Dutch province of Limburg, DeWolff (Robin Piso and brothers Pablo van de Poel and Luka van de Poel) has released three albums and an EP since forming in 2007 in Geleen.
Vanessa Collier
An award-winning East Coast blues, soul, funk, and R&B vocalist, songwriter, and saxophonist, Vanessa Collier earned dual degrees in Performance and Music Production & Engineering at the Berklee College of Music. After graduating, the Maryland native quickly became an ace session and touring musician, playing alongside the likes of Annie Lennox, Kathy Mattea, and Willie Nelson, among others, and embarking on a nearly two-year U.S. and international stint with Grammy winner Joe Louis Walker.
Thorbjørn Risager & the Black Tornado
The Black Tornado is the supporting band of Thorbjørn Risager, a Danish blues musician who first came onto the scene early in the 2000s. A fan of Southern soul and Chicago blues, he fused the two sounds, something that was evident his 2004 debut, Live 2004.
Bywater Call
Meghan Parnell and Dave Barnes are the driving force behind Bywater Call, a powerhouse 7-piece Southern Soul, Roots Rock band out of Toronto, Canada
Since Bywater Call was formed in 2017, they have been Maple Blues and Independent Blues Award nominated and have made waves in the Canadian Festival Circuit. The band has also had the opportunity to extensively tour Europe, including most recently in May and June of 2022, featuring a mainstage appearance at the Netherlands’ premiere blues festival MOULIN BLUES. Performances there have been praised in Dutch and German media, with references to Meghan as one of the best singers in blues and roots today. They will be returning to Europe in Fall 2023.
Johnny A.
The name ‘Johnny A.’ might not be so mainstream, but there’s no doubt that it’s synonymous with guitar.
His passion began at the age of thirteen, when he first saw the Beatles in Boston, followed two years later by an in-person witnessing of Jimi Hendrix. From there, he was hooked, getting a cheap beginner guitar to try and play along with his early heroes — which also included Yardbirds icons Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page.
Soon enough, Johnny A. got it.
When Rivers Meet
Combining powerful and heartfelt vocals with thundering guitar riffs, Essex-based Rock band When Rivers Meet offers originality with both talent and authentic personalities. Grace Bond leads with her incredible vocals, as well as bringing raunched-up mandolin and violin instrumentals. Her husband Aaron Bond commands attention with his imaginative guitar and cigar box playing and complements with compelling vocal harmonies… a winning formula.
Eddie 9V
All his life, Eddie 9V (9-volt) has acted on instinct. Aged just 15, this old-soul artist turned away from the path of college and jobs to burst all guns blazing onto the roots and blues club circuit of his native Atlanta, Georgia. Flash forward to 2019, and for his debut album, Left My Soul In Memphis, the prodigious multi-instrumentalist simply powered up the amps in his mobile trailer and with his brother/co-writer/producer, Lane Kelly, laid down one of the year’s breakout releases, acclaimed as “fresh and life-affirming” by Rock & Blues Muse.
Dom Martin
Although a young man relatively new to the scene, it would be wrong to think Dom Martin hasn’t paid his life and musical dues. Brought up in the often tough, but community driven streets of Belfast Northern Ireland, Dom traded his craft for a time locally without a (self confessed) clue how to break into the (international) music business and possibly with too much humility to try. ‘Discovered’ by his present management, Dom has made a fairly ‘meteoric’ rise in terms of today’s industry,
The Cinelli Brothers
The Cinelli Brothers is a project born out of a common passion for the electric Chicago and Texas blues from the 60s and 70s, when brothers Marco (guitarist and lead singer) and Alessandro (drummer) decided to form an explosive team showcasing original repertoire in the style of Chess, Stax and Motown.
True Strays
True Strays are lifelong friends, songwriters and Country boys – Joseph James and James Cameron – from Bristol, England who are fast carving out a niche of their own in the UK Americana scene. Their music is a cathartic celebration of alternative roots americana and blues rock.
Their songs focus on the dirt that life throws at you and how struggle can be transformed into something better. The prolific songwriting duo draw influences from classic sounds such as Neil Young, Muddy Waters, Fleetwood Mac and modern retro inspired acts like Alabama Shakes, Gary Clark Jr and the Black Keys.
Alice Armstrong
Known for her wide vocal range, unconventional lyrics, red hair, red light-sensitivity glasses and an unrivalled stage presence, Alice Armstrong’s songs have so far reached the top 20 in the most played albums of the Independent Blues Broadcasters Association and has been nominated for four different categories in the UK Blues awards in the last three years.
Cardinal Black
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