ERIC BIBB to visit New Zealand

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 11 February 2009

ERIC BIBB to visit New Zealand

This leading acoustic bluesman is about to thrill audiences with his performances where blues meets gospel and soul.

“His is heart and soul medicine, and that’s the best blues can offer.” The Victoria Times Colonist

Eric Bibb (born August 16, 1951) is an American acoustic blues singer/songwriter.  Bibb was born in New York; his father, Leon Bibb, is a singer in musical theatre who made a name for himself as part of the 1960s New York folk scene. His uncle was the jazz pianist and composer John Lewis, of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Family friends included Pete Seeger, Odetta and actor/singer/activist Paul Robeson, Bibb's godfather.

Eric Bibb in concert

 
He was given his first steel-string acoustic guitar aged seven. Growing up surrounded by talent, he recalls a childhood conversation with Bob Dylan, who, on the subject of guitar playing, advised the 11-year-old Eric to "Keep it simple, forget all that fancy stuff".

Bibb remembers from his early teen years:

I would cut school and claim I was sick. When everyone would leave the house I would whip out all the records and do my own personal DJ thing all day long, playing Odetta, Joan Baez, the New Lost City Ramblers and Josh White.

Eric has appeared on major TV and radio shows including Later with Jools Holland and The Late Late Show. Eric and his band have played at most of the world’s major festivals including Glastonbury (4 times this year) and the Cambridge Folk Festival in the UK. He joined Robert Cray on two U.S. tour stints in 2001 and 2002 and opened for Ray Charles in the summer of 2002.

Eric's talent for both performing and songwriting has been recognised with a Grammy Nomination (for Shakin' a Tailfeather) and 4 W.C.Handy nominations (for the albums Spirit and the Blues, Home To Me and A Ship Called Love; for 'Kokomo' as Best Acoustic Blues Song of the Year, and for Best Acoustic Blues Artist of the Year). His songs have featured on TV shows such as BBC TV's 'Eastenders' and ‘Casualty’, and 'The District' in the USA. Eric's version of "I Heard the Angels Singin'" was included in the feature film "The Burial Society" and Eric appears on Jools Holland's double platinum-selling album Small World, Big Band, singing his own composition "All That You Are".

In recent years, the international troubadour has definitely not been travelling on the ‘Slow Train’. In 2005 Eric released A Ship Called Love and toured the world as ever, including a major US tour with John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers and Robben Ford. A Ship Called Love was nominated for Acoustic Album of the Year in the 2006 Blues Music Awards.

Diamond Days was released in 2006 and has become the biggest selling album of the Eric’s lengthy career, receiving universal critical acclaim. The album entered both Australian (National) and US charts (Blues). Eric has been nominated for Acoustic Artist of the Year in the 2008 Blues Music Awards.

Since the release of Diamond Days there have been appearances on national TV in Australia (including a one hour live concert broadcast), France, Finland, Sweden and the UK (including Later with Jools Holland). The track "Shine On" garnered strong airplay in the US on Triple A format stations. "Shine On" has also been used as the opening theme for the BBC drama series Sea Of Souls. BBC Radio 2, the UK’s largest radio station, supported Eric with several prime-time interviews and extensive airplay.

In this same 12-month period Eric performed over 130 shows across 3 continents. Some of the highlights included show-stopping performances at legendary venues/festivals such as Glastonbury Festival (UK); BB Kings, New York (USA); The Bluebird Café, Nashville (USA); Port Fairy Folk Festival (Australia); Nice Jazz Festival (France); Edmonton Folk Festival (Canada) and Sommarscen, Malmo (Sweden).

2008 saw the release of Eric’s latest album, Get Onboard. Eric and producer, Glen Scott, produced an album which, those who have heard it feel, is his finest set of recordings to date. The album was recorded in Nashville and completed in Stockholm. Bonnie Raitt and Ruthie Foster are featured guest performers.

The album features a stellar line-up of musicians - the Nashville band included producer Glen Scott on keyboards and backing vocals, Tommy Sims (Bruce Springsteen, Kelly Clarkson, Eric Clapton) on guitar, bass and backing vocals, Lemar Carter on drums (Carrie Underwood, Joss Stone, India Arie) and other Nashville musical luminaries. Producer Glen Scott then took the tracks back to Stockholm to complete with his own ‘house’ musicians – many of whom appeared on Diamond Days.

Eric describes his latest creation as follows “My new album Get Onboard is, without a doubt one of the most exciting projects of my career. It’s a further exploration into the place where blues meets gospel and soul.”

A performance by Eric Bibb is an enriching experience – both musically and spiritually. Purveying a beautifully realised and deftly accomplished, soulful and gospel infused, folk- blues, Eric has no problem melding a traditional rootsy American style with a subtle contemporary sensibility. As one critic wrote “ Eric’s singing and versatile guitar playing fuses a variety of genres to become a New World Blues”.

"Eric is one of the new, young singers that has appeared on the scene that, much to my delight, has a great voice, is an excellent performer and has a great knowledge about the roots of this music"
Taj Mahal

TICKETS ON SALE THURSDAY 12 FEB through Ticketek or at local venue....

Auckland GALATOS 25 February

Hamilton VILAGRAD 26 February

Palmerston North BAR MODE 27 February
 

Nelson MUSSEL INN 4 March

 
Christchurch DUX DE LUX 6 March
 
Wellington Jazz and Music Festival 8 March (see nzfestival@festival.co.nz for details)

ends

Nancy Blackler

Office +64 9 361 3967

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