This artist had me the moment I heard Liza Richardson play “Rumble and Sway” on her show. I loved his growl of a voice and it was hard not to tap my toes. It’s the title track to his debut EP and you can hear it here, but I think this live version on Conan (love the horns!) is the best representation.
If the song sounds familiar, it might be because it was used in a promo for Season 3 of the Walking Dead— placed there by former KCRW DJ/music supervisor Thomas Golubic!
The Bristol-born musician moved to Chicago when he was a kid and that’s where he fell in love with the blues. He moved back to the UK as a teen, which is where he taught himself to play guitar and developed his voice, emulating singers he loved like Greg Allman, Ray Charles, Joe Cocker and Tom Waits.
I missed him at SXSW but I really hope to see him live soon!
RR