Eric Bibb
(born August 16, 1951) is an American acoustic blues singer-songwriter. He is based in London and launched his career in Europe.
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ERIC BIBB TICKETS
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Biography
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.
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 Bibb 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, Josh White.
At 16 years old, his father invited him to play guitar in the house band for his TV talent show "Someone New". Bill Lee, who played bass in this band, was later to appear on Bibb's albums
Me To You
and
Friends
.
In 1969, Bibb played guitar for the Negro Ensemble Company at St. Mark's Place in New York. He went on to study Psychology and Russian at
Columbia University, but did not finish these studies. Aged 19, Bibb left for
Paris, where he met guitarist
Mickey Baker who focused his interest in
blues guitar.
Bibb moved to
Sweden and lived in
Stockholm, where he immersed himself in pre-war blues and the newly-discovered
world music scene, while he continued to write and perform.
The album
Good Stuff
was released in 1997 on Opus 3 and American label Earthbeat. Bibb signed to the British-based Code Blue label, but only released one album,
Me to You
, featuring appearances from some of Bibb's personal heroes,
Pops and
Mavis Staples, and
Taj Mahal. This was followed by tours of the UK, USA, Canada, France, Sweden and Germany.
In the late 1990s Bibb joined forces with his then manager Alan Robinson to form Manhaton Records in Britain. The albums
Home to Me
(1999),
Roadworks
(2000) and
Painting Signs
(2001) followed, as did another Opus 3 release,
Just Like Love
.
After that, he made
A Family Affair
(2002) with his father, Leon Bibb. This was followed by
Natural Light
then
Friends
– 15 tracks featuring Bibb duetting with friends and musicians he had met on his travels such as Taj Mahal,
Odetta,
Charlie Musselwhite,
Guy Davis,
Mamadou Diabate and
Djelimady Toukara.
Appearances
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Bibb has appeared on major TV and radio shows including
Later with Jools Holland
and
The Late Late Show
. Bibb and his band have played at most of the world's major festivals including
Glastonbury (twice) and the
Cambridge Folk Festival in the UK. He joined
Robert Cray on two U.S. tours in 2001 and 2002 and opened for
Bonnie Raitt on a recent UK tour, and
Ray Charles in the summer of 2002.
In 2005
A Ship Called Love
(Telarc CD-83629) was released and Bibb went on another successful world tour, including a major 30-date 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.
In 2006,
Praising Peace
, the Leon Bibb/Eric Bibb tribute to
Paul Robeson, was released on
Stony Plain Records, while in September
Diamond Days
was also released (Telarc CD-83660). It was produced by Glen Scott and recorded in the UK, Sweden and Canada. It includes a live recording of "In My Father's House" featuring Bibb's long-time recording and touring partner,
Dave Bronze, formerly bass guitarist for
Eric Clapton. This tour produced many positive reviews:
“Some days you get diamond some days nickels & dimes but if you’re lucky you may strike gold I think Bibb has hit the jackpot”. Eastern Daily Press
Bibb's talent for both performing and songwriting has been recognised with a
Grammy Nomination (for "Shakin' a Tailfeather") and five
W. C. Handy Award nominations (for the albums
Spirit and the Blues
and
Home To Me
; for "Kokomo" as Best Acoustic Blues Song of the Year, and twice 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. Bibb's version of "I Heard the Angels Singin'" was included in the feature film
The Burial Society
and Bibb appears on
Jools Holland's double platinum-selling album
Small World, Big Band
, singing his own composition "All That You Are". In Australia, he has appeared several times on ABC national television on the
Live At The Basement
series.
“Now unquestionably a major figure in his own right” -- The Times,19 October 2006, Clive Davis