Eric Bibb

American roots musician Eric Bibb merges Delta blues, American folk, pre-war gospel, and retro-soul into his singular sound. He entered the studio for the first time with 1972's Ain't It Grand and followed it with the widely praised Rainbow People in 1977. After issuing 1983's Golden Apples of the Sun he stepped away from recording under his own name for ten years. His return came with 1994's Spirit & The Blues, and two years later he delivered the Grammy-nominated Shakin' a Tailfeather. Maintaining an almost constant tour schedule, he put out Roadworks on his independent Manhaton imprint in 2000 and, in 2002, recorded A Family Affair alongside his father, folksinger Leon Bibb. 2008's Get On Board reached number three on the blues charts, while 2010's Booker's Guitar claimed the top spot. Following the international success of 2012's Deeper in the Well, Bibb issued the well-regarded Migration Blues in 2017. He made his Provogue bow in 2021 with the socially charged Dear America. 2023's Ridin' served as the modern-day blues troubadour's thematic sequel, rooted in folk and blues forms yet shaped by present-day perspectives. He continued the sequence with In the Real World in 2024.

Raised in the folk tradition much like Josh White, Jr.—son of folksinger Josh White—singer, songwriter, and guitarist Eric Bibb grew up surrounded by music. The New York City native and son of folksinger Leon Bibb counted Modern Jazz Quartet pianist and composer John Lewis as his uncle. Family acquaintances during the 1950s and 1960s included Pete Seeger, Odetta, Bob Dylan, and his godfather, the late Paul Robeson.

Bibb received his first steel-string guitar at age seven, an occasion on which Dylan offered lasting counsel: "keep it simple, forget all that fancy stuff." At thirteen he enrolled at New York City's High School of Music and Art, where instruction covered double bass, vocals, classical guitar, and piano, and where he also began composing original material. When he turned sixteen his father invited him to join the house band for the television talent program Someone New, whose bassist was Bill Lee, father of film director Spike Lee.

Bibb departed New York City for Paris in 1970 and there encountered folk and blues guitarist Mickey Baker. The meeting prompted a sharper focus on blues guitar; after relocating to Stockholm, Sweden, he developed a deep attachment to pre-war blues and gospel. He kept writing songs and performing them in clubs and coffee houses, signed a one-album contract with Sweden's MVN, and released his debut Ain't It Grand. In 1977 he entered an ongoing though non-exclusive arrangement with Opus 3, Sweden's leading roots-music label, for whom his initial release was the now-classic Rainbow People.

He moved back to New York in 1980 intent on establishing himself as a folk and blues performer. Early in the decade he recorded a pair of Opus 3 albums that included Eric Bibb & Friends and Golden Apples of the Sun. Prevailing musical currents—post-punk, new wave, hair metal among them—made sustaining a career nearly impossible, so four years later he returned to Stockholm. He continued playing live and also taught music in schools until 1994, when he released Spirit and the Blues. That album highlighted bouzouki, mandolin, accordion, and a gospel vocal group. He appeared at the London Blues Festival in 1996 on a shared bill with Corey Harris and Keb' Mo'. Later the same year he issued Good Stuff on the Rhino-distributed Earthbeat.

Also released in 1997 was Me to You on Code Blue, which featured performances and collaborations with musical heroes Pops & Mavis Staples and Taj Mahal. Together with Taj Mahal and Linda Tillery he contributed to the Grammy-nominated children's album Shakin' a Tailfeather. Extensive touring throughout the U.K., U.S., Canada, France, Germany, and Sweden helped Me to You achieve international commercial success. Subsequent releases included Home to Me in 1999, Roadworks in 2000, and both Painting Signs and Just Like Love in 2001. The following year he and his father, folk singer Leon Bibb, issued the widely acclaimed A Family Affair, after which Bibb opened for Ray Charles on tour.

A tireless songwriter perpetually stocked with fresh ideas and an enduring passion for live performance, Bibb maintained demanding touring and recording timetables. He released Natural Light on Earthbeat in 2003, followed by Roadworks and Sisters and Brothers in 2004; that same year also brought the globally praised Friends.

Late-decade projects encompassed A Ship Called Love, Diamond Days, 2006's Twelve Gates to the City, and another collaboration with his father, Praising Peace: A Tribute to Paul Robeson. In 2007 he issued the live album An Evening with Eric Bibb on Telarc Blues, then Get on Board the next year, which included guest appearances by Bonnie Raitt and Ruthie Foster. Bibb characterized the album's direction by noting it was "a further exploration into the place where blues meets gospel and soul." Elevated visibility from relentless touring propelled 2008's Get On Board to number three on the blues album charts, while 2010's acclaimed Booker's Guitar reached number one and landed inside the Top Five at Folk/Americana.

Troubadour Live, captured at a 2010 Stockholm concert and featuring guest guitarist Staffan Astner, appeared in 2011. 2013's Jericho Road was produced by engineer and multi-instrumentalist Glen Scott. The following year brought another Scott-produced effort, Blues People, which earned near-universal critical praise. In 2015 Bibb teamed with harmonica player Jean-Jacques Milteau for the Lead Belly tribute album Lead Belly's Gold. His next venture paired him with Finnish musicians Petri Hakala and Olli Haavisto plus legendary British bassist Danny Thompson; billed as Eric Bibb and the North Country Far with Danny Thompson, the group released The Happiest Man in the World in 2016. Migration Blues arrived in 2017, its songs addressing the struggles and histories of refugees and immigrants.

Bibb released Global Griot on Dixie Frog/Stony Plain in 2018. The double-length set featured Senegalese kora master Solo Cissokho and Malian guitarist Habib Koité. That same year he issued the digital-only Pray Sing Love, a collection of relationship songs created with his wife, vocalist and songwriter Ulrika Pontén Bibb.

Now based in London, Bibb looked back across the Atlantic for 2021's Dear America. Recorded in Brooklyn in 2019 with a studio ensemble anchored by drummer Steve Jordan, the album included contributions from jazz bassist Ron Carter, singer Shaneeka Simon, and blues guitarist Eric Gales. Its thirteen songs addressed history, politics, spiritual life, family, and social issues. After a world tour Bibb returned to the studio and delivered Ridin' in March 2023. A direct continuation of the work begun on Dear America, the project—co-written and produced with Glen Scott—formed a concept album examining the ongoing cultural imperative to confront and eradicate systemic racism. Despite the gravity of its subject matter, Bibb infused the record with funky grooves and optimism. Guests included Taj Mahal, Jontavious Willis, Russell Malone, and Habib Koité. In 2024 he released Live at the Scala Theater and received a Grammy nomination for Ridin'. October brought In the Real World, a fifteen-track collection of originals performed by his road band and an array of studio musicians. Vocalist Lily James joined Bibb for the duet "Victory Voices."