Eric was born In New York into a musical family. Eric’s father, Leon Bibb, is a trained singer who sang in musical theatre and made a name for himself as part of the 1960s New York folk scene. His uncle was the world-famous jazz pianist and composer John Lewis of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Family friends included Pete Seeger, Odetta and actor/singer/activist Paul Robeson, Eric’s godfather.
Eric was given his first steel-string guitar at age seven. By junior high school, Eric was consumed by music. At 16 years of age, Eric’s father invited him to play guitar in the house band for his TV talent show Someone New.
In 1969, Bibb played guitar for the Negro Ensemble Company at St Mark’s place in New York and at just 19, he left for Paris, where a meeting with guitarist Mickey Baker focused his interest in blues guitar – and from there he bloomed.
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. One critic wrote, ‘Eric’s singing and versatile guitar playing fuses a variety of genres to become a new world blues’.
In duo mode Eric will be accompanied by beautiful Swedish guitarist Staffan Astner, who is also featured on the CD Troubadour Live! Eric performs with matchless ease and a poet’s sensibility. He has criss-crossed the world paying his dues and absorbing musical influences, picking up countless awards and nominations, and mesmerising audiences along the way. Eric Bibb serves up some powerful tunes – aimed as much at the brain as well as the heart and soul.
‘Eric is one of the new, young singers that have appeared on the scene and who, 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.
Bibb will be supported by local band Blackbirds. From the colourful streets of Byron Bay, Blackbirds bring an eloquence and simple elegance to sound that is most likened to a harmonic bath of honey. Guitar, ukulele, male and female vocal harmonies and percussion all combine to create a beautiful sound.
Eric’s new CD Deeper In the Well is due for release in Australia in March and you can catch Eric at the Currumbin SoundLounge on Friday and Lismore’s Star Court Theatre on Saturday.
