Selwyn Birchwood

American bluesman Selwyn Birchwood advanced along conventional blues pathways unlike many of his contemporaries, collecting honors from the Blues Foundation and Living Blues before securing a multi-record agreement with Alligator Records. He labels his original style "electric swamp funkin' blues," an approach built on raw, soulful musicianship delivered through a gritty baritone and intense, fire-and-brimstone energy. Both of his early Alligator releases charted, with 2014's Don't Call No Ambulance and 2017's Pick Your Poison opening international touring routes. The 2021 Tom Hambridge-produced Living in a Burning House reached the upper ranks of blues charts worldwide; Birchwood and Hambridge reunited for 2023's Exorcist.

Birchwood entered the world in Orlando in 1985, son of a Tobago-born father and U.K.-born mother. Guitar study began at 13 with a primary focus on rock until encounters with Jimi Hendrix and research into the Seattle guitarist's core blues influences drew him toward those artists as well. By 17 he performed electric blues-rock exclusively, counting Buddy Guy, Freddie King, Muddy Waters, Albert King, Lightnin' Hopkins, and Albert Collins among additional key influences.

After high school graduation he joined Sonny Rhodes' touring band while pursuing studies at the University of Tampa. An MBA in hand, Birchwood assembled the Selwyn Birchwood Band, whose eventual core lineup featured drummer Courtney "Big Love" Girlie, bassist Donald Wright, and saxophonist Regi Oliver. The group issued two independent albums, 2011's FL Boy and 2013's Road Worn, before capturing the 2013 International Blues Challenge award. Alligator Records head Bruce Iglauer took note and signed Birchwood soon afterward.

Birchwood's self-produced Alligator debut, Don't Call No Ambulance, surfaced in 2014. The album earned Best New Artist Album at the 2015 Blues Music Awards and reached number six on the Blues Albums charts. Extensive road work followed across clubs and festivals in the United States and Europe. Pick Your Poison, his second label release, appeared in May 2017 and also peaked at number six, prompting another 18 months of international touring.

Four years of selective songwriting preceded his third Alligator recording. Birchwood recruited Grammy-winning bluesman Tom Hambridge—known for work with Buddy Guy, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, and Susan Tedeschi—as producer, introducing keyboards and a full horn section for the first time and thereby widening his sonic palette.

Living in a Burning House arrived in January 2021 to widespread acclaim and strong showings on every major international blues chart. The band worked festivals throughout the Americas, Europe, and the Caribbean while maintaining club dates. February of the following year brought two Blues Music Award nominations, including Song of the Year for "I'd Climb Mountains!"

New material took shape nightly on stage. Following a brief respite from the road, Birchwood returned to Hambridge as producer and recorded at Orlando's Phat Planet Studio, resulting in 2023's Exorcist, his sixth album. Its 13 original tracks fluidly combined modern blues with funky reggae, swampy psychedelia, old-school rhythm & blues, T-Bone Walker-inspired strolling jump, deep blue gospel, soul, and further elements.