ERIC BIBB – Origin of the Blues – United States

Etats-Unis

Let it rain, let it pour,

Let it rain a whole lot more,

‘Cause I got them deep river blues.

Let the rain drive right on,

Let the waves sweep along,

‘Cause I got them deep river blues.

～ Deep River Blues (Traditional song)

Eric Bibb’s story begins in an atypical family in Queens where music ruled the roost. His father, Leon Bibb, was a senior figure on the New York folk scene in the 1960s; his godfather was the actor, singer and activist Paul Robeson, and his uncle the composer and jazz pianist John Lewis, founder of the Modern Jazz Quartet.

The family home was a centre of artistic life where you might find Bob Dylan, Gary Davis, Judy Collins or Odetta Holmes. These encounters fired the imagination and the talent of the boy who turned naturally to the guitar. Bob Dylan gave him this advice in the year he turned 11: ‘play simply and forget about too much sophistication’.

In Paris seven years later, meeting guitarist Mickey Baker cemented his interest in blues guitar. Eric joined up with the Swede and threw himself into the work and composition. At the same time he went on a world tour and became insatiably curious, particularly about sub-Saharan music. Once his 1994 album Spirit & The Blues was released, he became a star.

Bibb has played with Taj Mahal, Pops and Mavis Staples, Charle Musselwhite, Guy Davis, Hubert Sumlin, Rory Block, Bonnie Raitt, Mamadou Diabaté, Toumani Diabaté, Staffan Astner, the Campbell Brothers, Dirk Powell, Cedric Watson, Larry Crockett, Jerry Douglas and Habib Koité.

Today, Bibb lives in London where he continues to explore the roots of blues in the famous Delta blues of Mississippi and the cotton plantations of the end of the 19th century.

Website: http://www.ericbibb.com/

Excerpt: https://youtu.be/isfi8u7cLSQ

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