Biography
A pianist and vocalist steeped in high-energy boogie-woogie alongside classic blues forms, Victor Wainwright upholds blues heritage even as he propels it forward into contemporary times. His robust, soulful vocals complement the velocity and intensity of his keyboard playing, and although his sound remains rooted in boogie-woogie and blues, he has incorporated additional influences that reach listeners beyond dedicated blues circles. The 2005 debut Piana from Savannah presented his style in direct vintage honky-tonk fashion, whereas subsequent recordings with Victor Wainwright and the WildRoots—Lit Up! in 2011 and Boom Town in 2015—expanded the instrumental palette and introduced accents of jump blues together with early rock & roll. The 2018 release Victor Wainwright and the Train introduced an entirely new ensemble that enlarged his foundational blues and boogie elements through expansive arrangements, heightened guitar emphasis, and a jam-band orientation.
Born in Savannah, Georgia, on February 4, 1981, Victor Wainwright encountered blues at a young age because both his father and grandfather performed in that idiom and maintained friendships with the renowned pianist Pinetop Perkins, whose résumé included work alongside Muddy Waters, Robert Nighthawk, and Earl Hooker. Piano lessons began in childhood, enabling him to perform Beethoven’s “Für Elise” by age ten. During his formative years he absorbed country and blues figures including Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Price, and Johnny Cash. In adolescence he gravitated toward grunge acts such as Nirvana and Alice in Chains while persisting in blues study, eventually gigging in Savannah venues as guitarist Eric Culberson’s accompanist. At college he pursued air traffic management and psychology before securing a Memphis position as an air traffic controller. A subsequent friendship with musician Stephen Dees prompted Wainwright to concentrate on piano, and Dees produced the independently issued 2005 album Piana from Savannah on their own Wild Roots Label.
Following the album’s appearance, Wainwright and Dees formed Victor Wainwright & the WildRoots and began touring. The ensemble next recorded Beale Street to the Bayou, issued in 2009, with Lit Up! arriving in 2011. Positive notices and relentless road activity—more than 300 dates annually in both 2012 and 2013—broadened awareness among blues audiences. After a jam session with guitarist Damon Fowler, the pair launched the side project Southern Hospitality, whose album Easy Livin’ appeared on Blind Pig in 2013. Victor Wainwright & the WildRoots regrouped to deliver Boom Town for Blind Pig in 2015, an LP that reached the Top Ten on the blues album charts. In 2016 Wainwright received the Blues Foundation’s Blues Music Award for B.B. King Entertainer of the Year, and the following year he earned the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year honor. Having parted ways with the WildRoots, he assembled the larger Victor Wainwright and the Train, whose broader sonic approach merged jam-band and psychedelic textures with his established roots. The self-titled debut, released March 2018 on Ruf/Proper Records, garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Sustained critical acclaim and further touring led Wainwright and the Train to issue their second album, Memphis Loud, in 2020.
Born in Savannah, Georgia, on February 4, 1981, Victor Wainwright encountered blues at a young age because both his father and grandfather performed in that idiom and maintained friendships with the renowned pianist Pinetop Perkins, whose résumé included work alongside Muddy Waters, Robert Nighthawk, and Earl Hooker. Piano lessons began in childhood, enabling him to perform Beethoven’s “Für Elise” by age ten. During his formative years he absorbed country and blues figures including Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Price, and Johnny Cash. In adolescence he gravitated toward grunge acts such as Nirvana and Alice in Chains while persisting in blues study, eventually gigging in Savannah venues as guitarist Eric Culberson’s accompanist. At college he pursued air traffic management and psychology before securing a Memphis position as an air traffic controller. A subsequent friendship with musician Stephen Dees prompted Wainwright to concentrate on piano, and Dees produced the independently issued 2005 album Piana from Savannah on their own Wild Roots Label.
Following the album’s appearance, Wainwright and Dees formed Victor Wainwright & the WildRoots and began touring. The ensemble next recorded Beale Street to the Bayou, issued in 2009, with Lit Up! arriving in 2011. Positive notices and relentless road activity—more than 300 dates annually in both 2012 and 2013—broadened awareness among blues audiences. After a jam session with guitarist Damon Fowler, the pair launched the side project Southern Hospitality, whose album Easy Livin’ appeared on Blind Pig in 2013. Victor Wainwright & the WildRoots regrouped to deliver Boom Town for Blind Pig in 2015, an LP that reached the Top Ten on the blues album charts. In 2016 Wainwright received the Blues Foundation’s Blues Music Award for B.B. King Entertainer of the Year, and the following year he earned the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year honor. Having parted ways with the WildRoots, he assembled the larger Victor Wainwright and the Train, whose broader sonic approach merged jam-band and psychedelic textures with his established roots. The self-titled debut, released March 2018 on Ruf/Proper Records, garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album. Sustained critical acclaim and further touring led Wainwright and the Train to issue their second album, Memphis Loud, in 2020.
Albums
Don't Shake the Devil's Hand
2022
Victor Wainwright and The Train
2018
Lit Up
2011
Beale Street to the Bayou
2009
Piana From Savannah
2005
Live
