I sat down recently with my friend Ryan Lee Crosby who is a Rhode Island based musician, songwriter, producer, and teacher who is best known for his uncanny ability to channel 1930s Mississippi blues as if he arrived to us through a portal.
He combines Hill Country and Bentonia style blues with sounds from India and Africa, and as such is expanding the tradition. He is an incredible musician, a deeply spiritual human, and a good friend.
Ryan and I first met in 2024 while participating in preview shows for the Meadlowlark Festival, including a deeply memorable evening at the hallowed ground of the Levon Helm Studios. We have been friends since meeting and have performed together a few times.
“Of all the world’s musical traditions, the one that speaks to me most directly is the Bentonia style of Delta blues. Something I love about the blues is its timeless ability to express the entire range of the human experience: its brightest joys, deepest sorrows, and everything in between. By listening to the blues, we can learn how to have compassion for ourselves and others. Its lessons are endless.”
Our discussion managed to encapsulate a wide range of the human experience. This is what time with Ryan will produce for anyone who sits to talk with him, spends time with his albums, or attends a show.
Dylan Hundley is an artist and performer, and the co-creator and lead singer of Lulu Lewis and all things at Darling Black. She co-curates and hosts Salon Lulu which is a New York based multidisciplinary performance series. She is also a cast member of the iconic New York film Metropolitan.
