Alvin Youngblood Hart is a modern-day bluesman who is known across the world as a “musician’s musician.” Everyone has sung his praises from Bob Dylan to British guitar legends Eric Clapton and Mick Taylor. As a solo musician, he mines familiar territory in a style that reflects both the greats of yesteryear and his own unique perspective on roots music playing acoustic and electric guitars and banjo. He plays a solo show tonight at Chickie Wah Wah.
Hart also fronts a band, Muscle Theory, which is a live explosion of sound blurring the lines between blues, roots rock and country. The trio presents an eclectic musical experience that defies genre-fixation.
Hart’s other projects including working with Luther Dickinson of the North Mississippi Allstars and Jimbo Mathus of Squirrel Nut Zippers fame as the South Memphis String Band. Their debut album, Home Sweet Home, was nominated for “Best Acoustic Album” at the 2011 Blues Music Awards. Their second album, Old Times There, was released in the spring of 2012; a third recording is on the way.
Born in Oakland, CA and influenced by time spent in Carroll County, Mississippi, Hart has released five albums as a leader. His 2000 Hannibal release, Start with the Soul, was produced by Memphis and North Mississippi legend Jim Dickinson and was chosen by the New York Times as one of the top 10 releases of 2000, as well as the BBC’s, “Blues Record of the Year.”
Hart’s 2003 album Down in the Alley was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album and he received a Grammy Award for his contribution to Beautiful Dreamer – The Songs of Stephen Foster in 2005.
Besides his solo work, Hart contributed to the 2007 Otis Taylor album Recapturing the Banjo with fellow string players Corey Harris, Don Vappie, Keb Mo, and Guy Davis and he released a live recording in 2011 from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival with his band, Muscle Theory.
