Earl Thomas

Before ever grasping a microphone, Earl Thomas encountered a brush with mortality upon slipping from the brink of a 50-foot ravine, tumbling to its base where he lost consciousness amid shattered glass and rubble. As a 22-year-old dental student, he sustained only minor injuries; yet, upon waking uncertain about the severity of his condition, he contemplated his regret over neglecting his aspiration to sing and determined to chase it should he endure. It was nine years afterward that he committed to tape the 1991 release Blue...Not Blues, shaped profoundly by his parents' passion for blues and gospel alongside his own appreciation for soul from the 1960s and 1970s. Etta James achieved success with his composition "I Sing the Blues," while he shared stages at European festivals alongside Elvis Costello and B.B. King. Extra Soul, his sophomore effort, appeared in 1994 via Memphis International, with Intersection following on the same label in 2005.