Direct-To-Disc

Description

2010 Living Blues Award Winner for Debut Artist
2010 Blues Music Association Nominee for Best New Debut Artist

Blue enthusiasts in St. Louis have known about Marquise Knox since he was fifteen years old and already demonstrating vocal skills and stage presence that rivaled veteran performers two or three times his age. Now people elsewhere are beginning to catch on; Knox has been fielding requests to appear at blues festivals across the United States and in Europe, in addition to his busy gigging schedule at home. Winner of Best Blues Artist 2010 Riverfront Times, 2010

That this music is getting recorded and released is by itself a good thing, but the fact that it comes out on audiophile vinyl is a whole lot of icing on the cake. As for the sound, this was analog like I remembered it (minus the hiss, wow, and flutter), with a warm, in-the-room feel from the drums, bass, and acoustic piano and a rich, full sound from acoustic guitars. Jeff Wilson, The Absolute Sound, April/May 2010

One of the most exciting young blues players to emerge in quite some time, Marquise Knox embodies the soul and essence of a seasoned veteran, with a command of guitar, harmonica, vocals, songwriting and showmanship that belie his 18 years of age.

From St. Louis, Knox grew up listening to B.B. King, Lightnin Hopkins, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker and Albert King, and, despite the neighborhood influences of his peers, has yet to stray from deep-rooted traditional blues. Hes already performed with legends like Henry Townsend, Honeyboy Edwards, Robert Lockwood Jr., Bob Margolin, Willie Big Eyes Smith, Louisiana Red, Lazy Lester and Sam Lay.

And hes an original. The original songs recorded here were written by Knox literally within a day of this recording.

Knox has performed on the past three Blues Masters at the Crossroads bills. As the youngest performer on lineups chock full of legends, hes still prevailed as one of each years most obvious favorites.

Now 18 years old, this is a kid who somehow has decided to become a dead-serious bluesman of the old-school variety. Marquise Knox is a certified throwback.