Chris Thomas King

presented by: The Capital Region Blues NetworkFrom growing up among the finest blues musicians in the genre at his father's blues club to "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and far beyond, multi-talented Grammy Award winning blues musician, composer and actor Chris Thomas King has blazed a uniquely roots to contemporary musical path. The show, performed with his trio, will feature new songs from his latest albums as well as fan favorites including songs from "Ray" and "O Brother." King was born on October… Show more 14, 1964, in Baton Rouge. His father, Tabby Thomas, is a locally prominent bluesman who owned a club called Tabby's Blues Box, which opened in 1979 and closed in 2004 following Tabby's retirement. As a result, King, started early toward his musical future; even as a youngster he was well known as Rockin' Tabby's son and a child genius. While frequenting his father's club he performed with the late Silas Hogan, Guitar Kelly and Clarence Edwards, three masters of swamp blues. By sixth grade, King was learning to play the trumpet and later traveling as a rhythm guitar player of famous musicians like Lowell Folsom and Joe Tex. As he matured in the musical setting of New Orleans area blues culture, King was encouraged to experiment and develop his own style. Because each blues musician had a unique playing and singing style, he was discouraged from singing others' songs or even playing the way they did. He told Lisa Simeone on National Public Radio's Weekend Edition, "They would never sit me down and say, 'Well, this is how it goes.' They ... told me don't sing their songs ... 'Find your own song and sing that.'"The Capital Region Blues Network is an all-volunteer group of blues fans and musicians dedicated to providing, promoting, and preserving blues music in New York's Capital Region. We are currently planning numerous events and activities to support this mission, including keeping the Sunday night jam going, festival and concert events, and educational programs.Sponsored by WEXT 97.7

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