Biography
Since the 1970s guitarist Steve Blailock has collaborated in performance and on recordings with an array of jazz and blues figures, among them vocalists Lou Rawls, Betty Carter, and Big Mama Thornton. His credits further encompass work alongside saxophonist Hank Crawford and clarinetist Dr. Michael White, as well as appearances with trumpeters Nicholas Payton and Wynton Marsalis. Blailock commands a highly individual approach that draws on an expansive command of both jazz and blues idioms.
McComb, Mississippi—roughly ninety miles north of New Orleans—marks his birthplace, where exposure to New Orleans Jazz and R&B combined with the regional blues of his home state to shape his musical outlook. He turned professional while still in his early teens, playing the blues circuit across Mississippi, Louisiana, and additional Southern locales. Relocating to Nashville, Tennessee for study under legendary guitarist Hank Garland, he secured steady studio work that ran parallel to club engagements and concert tours.
After departing Nashville for Los Angeles, the adaptable player joined Lou Rawls’s band and established himself within the city’s jazz and blues community. He refined his technique through lessons with guitar masters Barney Kessell and Joe Pass. In 1984 Blailock resettled in New Orleans, maintaining an active presence there while also traveling to China, Italy, France, Germany, Finland, Japan, and other destinations. Across two decades as a studio musician his playing appears on hundreds of albums and CDs; 1996 brought the release of his debut solo project, Mixed Bag.
During 1996 and 1997 he performed at New York City’s Village Vanguard alongside New Orleans traditional jazz clarinetist Dr. Michael White. Another notable entry on his résumé is a live recording made at Birdland in New York City with veteran alto saxophonist Benny Waters. In New Orleans he has instructed blues and jazz guitar through the Department of Jazz Studies at Dillard University and conducted master classes and clinics at additional schools. New Orleans Magazine named him an All-Star Guitar and Banjo Player in 1997, and the following year he entered the Mississippi Music Hall of Fame. Between 2001 and 2002 he visited Japan with trombonist Wendell Brunious and the New Orleans Jazz All-Stars. He maintains an active performance schedule both in New Orleans and internationally.
McComb, Mississippi—roughly ninety miles north of New Orleans—marks his birthplace, where exposure to New Orleans Jazz and R&B combined with the regional blues of his home state to shape his musical outlook. He turned professional while still in his early teens, playing the blues circuit across Mississippi, Louisiana, and additional Southern locales. Relocating to Nashville, Tennessee for study under legendary guitarist Hank Garland, he secured steady studio work that ran parallel to club engagements and concert tours.
After departing Nashville for Los Angeles, the adaptable player joined Lou Rawls’s band and established himself within the city’s jazz and blues community. He refined his technique through lessons with guitar masters Barney Kessell and Joe Pass. In 1984 Blailock resettled in New Orleans, maintaining an active presence there while also traveling to China, Italy, France, Germany, Finland, Japan, and other destinations. Across two decades as a studio musician his playing appears on hundreds of albums and CDs; 1996 brought the release of his debut solo project, Mixed Bag.
During 1996 and 1997 he performed at New York City’s Village Vanguard alongside New Orleans traditional jazz clarinetist Dr. Michael White. Another notable entry on his résumé is a live recording made at Birdland in New York City with veteran alto saxophonist Benny Waters. In New Orleans he has instructed blues and jazz guitar through the Department of Jazz Studies at Dillard University and conducted master classes and clinics at additional schools. New Orleans Magazine named him an All-Star Guitar and Banjo Player in 1997, and the following year he entered the Mississippi Music Hall of Fame. Between 2001 and 2002 he visited Japan with trombonist Wendell Brunious and the New Orleans Jazz All-Stars. He maintains an active performance schedule both in New Orleans and internationally.