“…the man known as ‘The King of the Chitlin Circuit’… a man who deserves being mentioned in the same context as the blues greats Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, and B.B. King.” – American Blues Scene
Bobby Rush’s latest two albums, 2014’s Grammy nominated funk-infused Decisions and 2013’s Grammy nominated and Blues Music Award winning album Down in Louisiana is the work of a funky fire-breathing legend, both exhibiting one of his many unique layers. The latter’s 11 songs revel in the grit, grind and soul that’s been the blues innovator’s trademark since the 1960s, when he stood shoulder to shoulder on the stages of Chicago with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter and other giants.
At 80, Rush still has an energy level that fits his name. He’s a prolific songwriter and one of the most vital live performers in the blues, able to execute daredevil splits on stage with the finesse of a young James Brown while singing and playing harmonica and guitar. Those talents have earned him multiple Blues Music Awards including Soul Blues Album of the Year, Acoustic Album of the Year, and, almost perennially, Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year.
After more than sixty years of recording and touring, Rush is still doing over 200 shows a year from Mississippi to Japan and California to Los Angeles, and headlining major festivals and concerts for upwards of 20,000 people a night. Rush’s stage show is built around big-bottomed female dancers, ribald humor and hip-shaking grooves have made Rush today’s most popular blues attraction among African-American audiences. With more than 100 albums on his résumé, according to Rolling Stone magazine he’s the reigning king of the Chitlin’ Circuit, the network of clubs, theaters, halls and juke joints that first sprang up in the 1920s to cater to black audiences in the bad old days of segregation. A range of historic entertainers that includes Bessie Smith, Cab Calloway, B.B. King, Nat “King” Cole and Ray Charles emerged from this milieu. And Rush is proud to bear the torch for that tradition, and more.
“What I do goes back to the days of black vaudeville and Broadway, and — with my dancers on stage — even back to Africa,” Rush says. “It’s a spiritual thing, entwined with the deepest black roots, and with my latest releases, I’m taking those roots in a new direction so all kinds of audiences can experience my music and what it’s about.”
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Bobby Rush’s latest two albums, 2014’s Grammy nominated funk-infused Decisions and 2013’s Grammy nominated and Blues Music Award winning album Down in Louisiana is the work of a funky fire-breathing legend, both exhibiting one of his many unique layers. The latter’s 11 songs revel in the grit, grind and soul that’s been the blues innovator’s trademark since the 1960s, when he stood shoulder to shoulder on the stages of Chicago with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter and other giants.
At 80, Rush still has an energy level that fits his name. He’s a prolific songwriter and one of the most vital live performers in the blues, able to execute daredevil splits on stage with the finesse of a young James Brown while singing and playing harmonica and guitar. Those talents have earned him multiple Blues Music Awards including Soul Blues Album of the Year, Acoustic Album of the Year, and, almost perennially, Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year.
After more than sixty years of recording and touring, Rush is still doing over 200 shows a year from Mississippi to Japan and California to Los Angeles, and headlining major festivals and concerts for upwards of 20,000 people a night. Rush’s stage show is built around big-bottomed female dancers, ribald humor and hip-shaking grooves have made Rush today’s most popular blues attraction among African-American audiences. With more than 100 albums on his résumé, according to Rolling Stone magazine he’s the reigning king of the Chitlin’ Circuit, the network of clubs, theaters, halls and juke joints that first sprang up in the 1920s to cater to black audiences in the bad old days of segregation. A range of historic entertainers that includes Bessie Smith, Cab Calloway, B.B. King, Nat “King” Cole and Ray Charles emerged from this milieu. And Rush is proud to bear the torch for that tradition, and more.
“What I do goes back to the days of black vaudeville and Broadway, and — with my dancers on stage — even back to Africa,” Rush says. “It’s a spiritual thing, entwined with the deepest black roots, and with my latest releases, I’m taking those roots in a new direction so all kinds of audiences can experience my music and what it’s about.”
“…the man known as ‘The King of the Chitlin Circuit’… a man who deserves being mentioned in the same context as the blues greats Muddy Waters, Sonny Boy Williamson, and B.B. King.” – American Blues Scene
Bobby Rush’s latest two albums, 2014’s Grammy nominated funk-infused Decisions and 2013’s Grammy nominated and Blues Music Award winning album Down in Louisiana is the work of a funky fire-breathing legend, both exhibiting one of his many unique layers. The latter’s 11 songs revel in the grit, grind and soul that’s been the blues innovator’s trademark since the 1960s, when he stood shoulder to shoulder on the stages of Chicago with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter and other giants.
At 80, Rush still has an energy level that fits his name. He’s a prolific songwriter and one of the most vital live performers in the blues, able to execute daredevil splits on stage with the finesse of a young James Brown while singing and playing harmonica and guitar. Those talents have earned him multiple Blues Music Awards including Soul Blues Album of the Year, Acoustic Album of the Year, and, almost perennially, Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year.
After more than sixty years of recording and touring, Rush is still doing over 200 shows a year from Mississippi to Japan and California to Los Angeles, and headlining major festivals and concerts for upwards of 20,000 people a night. Rush’s stage show is built around big-bottomed female dancers, ribald humor and hip-shaking grooves have made Rush today’s most popular blues attraction among African-American audiences. With more than 100 albums on his résumé, according to Rolling Stone magazine he’s the reigning king of the Chitlin’ Circuit, the network of clubs, theaters, halls and juke joints that first sprang up in the 1920s to cater to black audiences in the bad old days of segregation. A range of historic entertainers that includes Bessie Smith, Cab Calloway, B.B. King, Nat “King” Cole and Ray Charles emerged from this milieu. And Rush is proud to bear the torch for that tradition, and more.
“What I do goes back to the days of black vaudeville and Broadway, and — with my dancers on stage — even back to Africa,” Rush says. “It’s a spiritual thing, entwined with the deepest black roots, and with my latest releases, I’m taking those roots in a new direction so all kinds of audiences can experience my music and what it’s about.”
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Bobby Rush’s latest two albums, 2014’s Grammy nominated funk-infused Decisions and 2013’s Grammy nominated and Blues Music Award winning album Down in Louisiana is the work of a funky fire-breathing legend, both exhibiting one of his many unique layers. The latter’s 11 songs revel in the grit, grind and soul that’s been the blues innovator’s trademark since the 1960s, when he stood shoulder to shoulder on the stages of Chicago with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter and other giants.
At 80, Rush still has an energy level that fits his name. He’s a prolific songwriter and one of the most vital live performers in the blues, able to execute daredevil splits on stage with the finesse of a young James Brown while singing and playing harmonica and guitar. Those talents have earned him multiple Blues Music Awards including Soul Blues Album of the Year, Acoustic Album of the Year, and, almost perennially, Soul Blues Male Artist of the Year.
After more than sixty years of recording and touring, Rush is still doing over 200 shows a year from Mississippi to Japan and California to Los Angeles, and headlining major festivals and concerts for upwards of 20,000 people a night. Rush’s stage show is built around big-bottomed female dancers, ribald humor and hip-shaking grooves have made Rush today’s most popular blues attraction among African-American audiences. With more than 100 albums on his résumé, according to Rolling Stone magazine he’s the reigning king of the Chitlin’ Circuit, the network of clubs, theaters, halls and juke joints that first sprang up in the 1920s to cater to black audiences in the bad old days of segregation. A range of historic entertainers that includes Bessie Smith, Cab Calloway, B.B. King, Nat “King” Cole and Ray Charles emerged from this milieu. And Rush is proud to bear the torch for that tradition, and more.
“What I do goes back to the days of black vaudeville and Broadway, and — with my dancers on stage — even back to Africa,” Rush says. “It’s a spiritual thing, entwined with the deepest black roots, and with my latest releases, I’m taking those roots in a new direction so all kinds of audiences can experience my music and what it’s about.”
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