Biography
Born in Manchester, England, on August 21, 1977, Matt Schofield leads the Matt Schofield Trio as its guitarist and central figure. Inspired early on by Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, and Albert Collins, he moved to London after finishing college to play with local musicians. Following time spent in the Lee Sankey Group, Dana Gillespie invited him into her London-based band. Rather than chase rapid recognition, Schofield joined the house band for festivals throughout Europe. Out of those performances emerged the trio that carries his name, establishing him as a solo artist in his own right. His debut release, the live recording The Trio, Live, appeared in 2004 and earned strong critical notice. The group achieved its distinctive sound by relying on organ rather than bass guitar to handle the low end, a departure from conventional electric-blues practice. Alongside keyboardist Jonny Henderson and drummer Evan Jenkins, Schofield issued the studio album Siftin' Thru' the Ashes in 2005, the same year the second live set Live At the Jazz Cafe came out. Two years later he delivered his second studio album, Ear To the Ground.