Carl Weathersby

Carl Weathersby performed as a vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist whose soul-blues delivery followed the classic Chicago approach. Recognition came chiefly through his association with Billy Branch & Sons of the Blues, and his debut effort, the 1996 album Don't Lay Your Blues on Me, drew praise as authentic, up-to-the-minute Chicago blues for the decade. The follow-up, Looking Out My Window, appeared in 1997 and sustained the acclaim; the track "The Blues Follow Me Around," which he had first cut with Branch, earned a Handy Award nomination.

Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Weathersby was eight when his family settled in East Chicago, Indiana, yet he returned each summer to relatives in Mississippi. Blues surrounded him throughout his upbringing, reinforced by numerous family connections to the blues, R&B, and Motown traditions: he is related to the late Leonard "Baby Doo" Caston, Willie Dixon's pianist in the Big Three Trio, a popular Chicago ensemble of the early 1950s; his cousin Leonard Caston, Jr., belonged to the Chicago soul group the Radiants, whose 1965 Chess Records single "Voice Your Choice" became a hit; another cousin is singer G.C. Cameron of the Motown act the Spinners. A neighbor was likewise a cousin of Hound Dog Taylor, and Weathersby's father maintained a friendship with Albert King.

While practicing King's guitar lines from the 45 rpm recording of "Crosscut Saw," Weathersby was overheard by his father and King himself; the guitarist, whose identity had been unknown to the boy until that moment, offered encouragement and later employed him as rhythm guitarist on short road trips in 1979, 1980, and 1982.

Before turning to full-time work with Branch's Sons of the Blues, Weathersby held jobs in a steel mill, served as a police officer and prison guard, and completed Army service in Vietnam from 1971 to 1977. Those experiences across four occupations supplied rich material for his songwriting, which remains as fresh, original, and life-affirming as that of any other contemporary blues artist.

Weathersby stayed with harmonica player Branch's Sons of the Blues for fourteen years, from 1982 to 1996, before launching a solo career. On his Evidence albums he was joined by two leading New Orleans musicians whose contributions introduced subtle funk elements: David Torkanowsky on piano and keyboards, and Herman Ernest III on drums, the latter a central figure in Dr. John's quartet the Lower 911. Don't Lay Your Blues on Me received 1996 Living Blues Critics' Awards nominations for Best New Blues Album, Best Blues Album, and Best Debut Album; Weathersby also earned a 1997 W.C. Handy Blues Award nomination for Best New Blues Artist. Later releases include the 1998 album Restless Feeling and the 2000 album Come to Papa. Carl Weathersby died on August 9, 2024, at the age of 71.