Alvin Youngblood Hart
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Alvin Youngblood Hart (born 2 March 1963, Oakland, California[1]) is an American musician.
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[edit] Career
Though born in Oakland, California, Hart had family connections with Carroll County, Mississippi, and spent time there in his childhood, hearing his relatives stories of Charlie Patton, "being around these people who were there when this music was going on".[2] Thus influenced by the country blues, Hart is known as one of the world's foremost practitioners of that genre. Hart is also known as a faithful torchbearer for the 1960s and 1970s guitar rock of his youth, as well as Western Swing and vintage country. His music has been compared to a list of diverse artists ranging from Leadbelly, Spade Cooley to Led Zeppelin and Thin Lizzy.
Hart plays acoustic and electric guitar as well as banjo and sometimes the mandolin. Bluesman Taj Mahal once said about Hart that "The boy has got thunder in his hands." Hart himself said "I guess my big break came when I opened for Taj Mahal for four nights at Yoshi's.[2]
In 1996 he made a powerful and individual album debut, Big Mama's Door, playing street, slide and standard guitars and banjo on a mixture of dug-up and new-grown blues.[2] In 2003, Hart's album Down in the Alley was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.[3] In 2005, Hart received a Grammy Award for his contribution to Beautiful Dreamer - The Songs of Stephen Foster.
[edit] Discography
1996 Big Mama's Door (OKeh Records)
1998 Territory
2000 Start with the Soul
2002 Down in the Alley
2005 Motivational Speaker
[edit] Awards
- W.C. Handy Award for best new artist - 1997[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Musicianguide.com biography - accessed January 2008
- ^ a b c Russell, Tony (1997). The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray. Dubai: Carlton Books Limited, p. 117. ISBN 1-85868-255-X.
- ^ All Music Guide biography - accessed January 2008
