Kenny Neal

One of the strongest modern proponents of Baton Rouge swamp blues, Kenny Neal is a second-generation southern Louisiana bluesman fully cognizant of the region’s venerable blues tradition, with the imagination to steer it in fresh directions. No less than Slim Harpo gave three-year-old Neal his first harmonica, and by age 17 he was playing bass for Buddy Guy. Neal recruited some of his talented siblings to form the Neal Brothers Blues Band in Toronto before returning stateside. In 1987, Neal cut his debut LP for Florida producer Bob Greenlee, initially released as Bio on the Bayou, then reissued the following year as Big News from Baton Rouge!! His sizzling guitar work, sturdy harp, and gravelly, aged-beyond-his-years vocals served him well, and he cut four albums between 1989 and 1994. An acclaimed 1991 Broadway stint in a production of Mule Bone found him performing acoustic versions of Langston Hughes’ poetry set to music by Taj Mahal. After another eight albums, Neal released Bloodline in 2016. It was nominated for a 2017 Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album and won 2017 Blues Music Awards for Best Contemporary Blues Album and for Best Contemporary Male Blues Artist. In 2019 Neal launched his new Booga Music label. The label’s flagship release was Brody Buster’s One Man Band, whom Neal signed and recorded after judging his performance at a recent International Blues Challenge. Neal continues to impress, as evidenced by his 2019 win and 2022 nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Male Artist BMA. More at kenny neal.net