GUY KING (USA)
Guy King’s music is fresh and unique while maintaining a strong link to the musical masters that came before him. His natural musical abilities and his one-of-a-kind blend of Blues, Jazz, Soul, Rock and R&B are some of what makes Guy King so special in the music world.
He has built a reputation as one of the greatest blues and jazz artists to come out of Chicago in recent history and his newest album Joy is Coming establishes him as much more than that.
The autobiographical album sees King showcase his songwriting chops bringing to mind Bill Withers, Eric Clapton and Steely Dan while presenting King’s true artistic voice. As a singer, King’s beautiful and soulful voice is perfect for his music and his unique approach to the guitar has been compared to jazz legend Wes Montgomery and Blues legend Albert King.
As he has graced stages around the world, he has captured the attention of fans everywhere.
Born and raised in a small rural town in Israel, Guy first arrived in the US, on tour at the age of 16. Five years after he returned to the United States and after a short stay in Memphis and a stint in New Orleans, Guy headed north to Chicago in pursuit of greater things and a musical career. In Chicago, Guy quickly gained recognition as he joined Willie Kent’s band, serving as his lead guitarist and band leader for a period of six years, until Kent’s passing in 2006 and performing 250-300 shows a year at the city’s top venues, such as: Buddy Guy’s Legends, B.L.U.E.S., Andy’s Jazz Club, House of Blues, Rosa’s Lounge, The Green Mill, and others, as well as nationally and internationally.
Guy had the pleasure and honor of opening the shows of B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and touring the world, performing in Japan, France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, England, Italy, Czech Republic, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Brazil.
In 2009, Guy released his first solo album Livin’ It which was very well received by the public and media alike, and that has opened the doors for two more albums since; I Am Who I Am and It Is What It Is and By Myself. In February 2016 Guy released his album Truth for Chicago’s Delmark Records. Truth reached #1 at the Roots music report Contemporary Blues Chart, received rave reviews worldwide, and earned Guy the Blues music Awards nomination for Best Emerging Artist.
In 2016 Guy was asked to perform a special show honoring Buddy Guy when he received an award from the city of Chicago, as Buddy himself calls Guy King one of his favorite artists.
In the recent few years, Guy have been performing extensively in Europe to sold-out audiences in some of Europe’s finest venues and festivals. Some of his past appearances include the Montreal Jazz Festival, Chicago Blues Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival, Gaildorf Blues – Festival (Germany), King Biscuit Festival (Helena, Arkansas), Blues on the Fox, The Paramount Theatre, Polanco Blues Festival (Mexico City, Mexico), Swing Wespelaar (Belgium), Basel Blues Festival (Switzerland) and many more.
In addition to his recordings and live shows, King has recently released his first video Guitar Masterclass with TrueFire: Guy King’s The Art and Heart of Guitar.
Named as Chicago’s Latest Royalty by Vintage Guitar Magazine, he continues to perform, write, and record new material with an ear sensibly tilted toward producing great music: taking the varied music he loves and recasting it in new directions.