Mike Zito

Guitarist Mike Zito entered the world in St. Louis, Missouri, on November 19, 1970. Early performances at community gatherings marked his initial foray into music while still a child, and adolescence brought the guitar into his hands along with steady local gigs throughout the area. Self-released efforts on his own imprint accompanied extensive American road work by 2008, the same year he joined Eclecto Groove Records and issued Today. Pearl River arrived the next year, earning Zito the Song of the Year honor at the 2010 Blues Music Awards for its title cut.

Greyhound closed his association with Eclecto Groove in 2011, and the track “Roll On” from that album appeared in an episode of the television series Sons of Anarchy. That year also saw the formation of Royal Southern Brotherhood alongside Cyril Neville, guitarist Devon Allman (son of Gregg Allman), bassist Charlie Wooton (of Zydefunk), and Yonrico Scott (former drummer for the Derek Trucks Band); the ensemble delivered its self-titled debut on the Ruf label in 2012.

Zito introduced his new ensemble the Wheel on the 2013 studio album Gone to Texas, which received a Blues Music Award nomination for Rock Blues Album of the Year. The same group backed him on the 2014 live recording Songs from the Road. Make Blues Not War, produced by Tom Hambridge, surfaced in 2016, and First Class Life followed two years later, entering the Billboard Top Blues Albums Chart at number one. Two additional full-length projects appeared in 2019: the concert document Live from the Top and the all-star collection Rock n' Roll: A Tribute to Chuck Berry, which included appearances by Sonny Landreth, Joe Bonamassa, Walter Trout, and additional guests.