“A great, new blues
talent…young, original, soulful and intense…superb, blistering
guitar” –BLUES & RHYTHM
“Jarekus Singleton is making some serious blues noise...blending
modern-day blues and emotionally intense soul with melodic,
hot-toned lead guitar, funk-seasoned rhythms and hip-hop flavored
lyrics” –LIVING BLUES
Stinging blues guitar and potent, original songs herald the
emergence of a major new talent. - USA TODAY
Jarekus Singleton is one of the most exciting blues guitars to come
along in years.....Boundless enthusiasm.....Singleton shoots
super-heated notes through the chords with an emotional directness
and a musical spirit that's all his own. - DOWNBEAT
At
just 30 years old, Jarekus Singleton is a musical trailblazer with a
bold vision for the future of the blues. Springing from the same
Mississippi soil as Charley Patton, Muddy Waters and B.B. King,
Singleton’s cutting-edge sound—equally rooted in rap, rock and blues
traditions—is all his own. He melds hip-hop wordplay, rock energy
and R&B grooves with contemporary and traditional blues, turning
audiences of all ages into devoted fans. With his untamed guitar
licks and strong, soulful voice effortlessly moving from ferocious
and funky to slow and steamy to smoking hot, Singleton is a fresh,
electrifying bluesman bursting at the seams with talent.
Singleton's Alligator debut, Refuse To Lose, features a
scintillating guitar attack and lyrically startling original songs
all sung with a natural storyteller’s voice. Produced by Singleton
along with Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer and recorded at
PM Music in Memphis, the album is an impossible-to-ignore first step
onto the world stage. With songs telling real life, streetwise
(sometimes funny) stories brimming with surprising images, pop
culture references, infectious rhythms and unexpected musical
twists, Refuse To Lose unleashes a new wave of blues for a new
generation of fans. Jarekus Singleton has been tearing up clubs and
festivals across the US and Canada and has performed twice at the
world-renowned Chicago Blues Festival. With the addition of
high-visibility performances including Springing The Blues Festival,
Biscuits & Blues in San Francisco, The North Atlantic Blues
Festival, The PA Blues Festival, The Mississippi Valley Blues
Festival, Heritage Music Blues Festival, The Cincinnati Blues
Festival, The Festival International du Blues, Mont-Tremblant,
Quebec and many more, Singleton is on the cusp of international
stardom.
Born into a family of church musicians and vocalists on July 11,
1984 in Clinton, Mississippi, Jarekus Singleton was immersed in
gospel music as a child. Taught by his uncle, Jarekus began playing
bass guitar at age nine in his grandfather's church band. He later
switched to lead guitar and began to sharpen his instrumental and
vocal skills, falling in love with the music of all three Kings (B.B.,
Albert and Freddie) as well as Stevie Ray Vaughan, rappers Twista
and Jay-Z, and even country artist Brad Paisley. In his late teens,
Jarekus pursued a career in basketball, becoming a top-seeded
national player in college until an injury took him back to his
music full time. For a short period he performed as a rap artist,
writing his own lyrics. Before long though, he began combining his
rap wordsmithing with the music of his Mississippi heritage,
creating a thoroughly modern, masterfully updated take on the blues.
In 2009, he formed The Jarekus Singleton Blues Band, quickly
building a reputation as a tremendously gifted musician and
performer. Jarekus self-released his first CD, Heartfelt, in 2011,
and fans and media quickly took notice of these brand new original
songs. Three tracks from that CD continue to play in regular
rotation on B.B. King's Bluesville on SiriusXM Radio, the
most-listened-to blues radio station in the world. But radio wasn't
alone in praising the rising blues star, as the rest of the world
began paying attention.
Singleton was named a "star on the rise" by Blues & Rhythm magazine
in the UK. Guitar Center named him the 2011 King of the Blues in
Mississippi. He received the Jackson Music Award for 2012 Blues
Artist of the Year and for 2013 Local Artist of the Year. The
Jackson Free Press named him the 2013 Best Local Blues Artist.
Living Blues praised Singleton for his “emotional intensity,” saying
he "blends styles and elements across genres and generations.”
Audiences at his shows run the gamut from older blues fans to
younger rockers and rap aficionados, all of whom call him their own.
“Blues is honest music," says Singleton, who, with Refuse To Lose,
is determined to put his own stamp on the genre. "I love the blues
tradition, and have always been inspired by the masters. But I want
to create something for today's audience that is as original and new
as those blues masters were when they first started making records.
I want to create blues for the 21st century."
“Jarekus Singleton is
destined to be the next big name in the blues world.” --Blues &
Rhythm Magazine (UK)
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