Preacher Boy

With his gritty vocals, driving rhythms, and incisive guitar lines, Preacher Boy connects earlier eras of the blues with its current and emerging forms. He first drew notice on the San Francisco blues circuit, where his initial recordings, such as the 1995 release Preacher Boy & the Natural Blues, drew directly on 1930s blues and jazz models. By the arrival of 2000’s The Devil’s Buttermilk he had shifted toward a modern palette that included electric guitars and keyboards. The 2016 set Country Blues reduced the music to solo guitar and voice, while 2018’s The Rumble Strip ventured into electronic textures; the 2024 album Ghost Notes returned to a roots-oriented blend of blues foundations and funky grooves.

Born Christopher Watkins in Iowa City, Iowa, in 1968, he received his first guitar at age thirteen from his grandfather, a musician and visual artist who demonstrated open-chord tuning in the style of slide players. A Howlin’ Wolf LP discovered in the family collection sparked his engagement with the blues, and a copy of Samuel Charters’ book The Country Blues, obtained by his mother, introduced him to the rural artists of the 1920s and ’30s, whose work he then examined in detail. After performing with several bar bands he moved to San Francisco, took the name Preacher Boy, and formed his own group in 1992. Preacher Boy & the Natural Blues concentrated on acoustic blues and early jazz of the 1920s and ’30s, appearing regularly in local venues and sharing bills with Chris Isaak, Los Lobos, and J.J. Cale. Blind Pig Records signed the band and issued their self-titled debut in 1995; the album secured them a place on the 1995 San Francisco Blues Festival bill, where they impressed both audiences and critics.

The follow-up Gutters and Pews appeared on Blind Pig in 1996 and maintained the approach of the first album. Continued road work built an audience in Europe and the U.K. During an extended stay in London, Preacher Boy recorded 1998’s Crow for the Wah Tup label. His second Wah Tup album, 2000’s The Devil’s Buttermilk, introduced additional electric elements that created a dynamic contrast between traditional and contemporary sounds. That year he also contributed a version of Tom Waits’ “Old Boyfriends” to the tribute collection New Coat of Paint: Songs of Tom Waits. While supporting Crow he opened several dates for Eagle Eye Cherry, an association that led to further collaboration; Preacher Boy co-wrote five songs and played guitar on Cherry’s 2001 album Living in the Present Future. His fifth album, Demanding to Be Next, was released by Coast Road Records.

After withdrawing from music to focus on writing, he spent time composing poetry in a house formerly owned by Jack Kerouac. In 2016 he returned with three albums: Estate Bottled Blues, which mixed blues, rock, and indie-rock elements; the electric set The National Blues; and Country Blues, featuring solo guitar renditions of classic material. The 2018 album The Rumble Strip again explored new textures by combining blues melodies with guitars and electronics. Two EPs followed—2020’s See No Evil, a lively political statement, and 2021’s Six for Three, built on minimalist grooves—before touring and writing occupied the next several years. Ghost Notes emerged in 2024, emphasizing organic arrangements in which his raw vocals and guitar were supported by funky rhythms, keyboards, and soulful female backing singers.