Ruthie Foster
Ruthie Foster's musical journey is as eclectic and vibrant as her soulful voice. Born into a family steeped in gospel tradition, Ruthie's earliest influences were the voices of her mother, grandmother, and the gospel singers she grew up listening to — artists like the Gospel Keynotes and the Blind Boys of Alabama. However, her path to becoming a solo artist wasn't a straightforward one. Despite a deep love for music, Ruthie initially shied away from the spotlight, preferring to play guitar, piano, and write songs for others. Growing up in the rich musical tapestry of Gause, Texas, Ruthie found herself drawn to the diverse sounds and arrangements of local gospel choirs and musicians. Despite her reluctance to take center stage, Ruthie's talent was undeniable, and her mother encouraged her to step up and sing out. She stood out as a young black girl with a guitar in a choir scene dominated by pianos, but with her grandmother’s vocal coaching and encouragement from her mother and the church community, she recognized her own power — as a songwriter, a musician, and as a captivating singer. After studying music at a community college in Waco, Ruthie decided to take a break from music and enlist in the Navy. The stage drew her once more, and she was selected to sing forthe Navy band Pride, where she honed her skills as a vocalist and performer. A development deal with Atlantic Records led her to New York City, where she immersed herself in the songwriting community and learned the craft of writing songs that spoke to the soul. However, Ruthie's journey took a turn when her mother fell ill, prompting her to step back from music and return to Texas once again. It was a period of introspection, caregiving, and deep bonding with her mother, and upon her return to writing and performing, it was to shape her voice as a singer-songwriter and storyteller. Drawing on her experiences and her musical roots, she began to craft blues, folk, and gospel-tinged songs that spoke to the universal themes of love, loss, and resilience. Turning down a major record deal in pursuit of authenticity, she has stayed true to herself and her vision as an artist, signing with independent label Blue Corn Music to release Runaway Soul in 2002, followed by The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster in 2007, The Truth According to Ruthie Foster in 2009, Let It Burn in 2012, Promise of a Brand New Day in 2014, Joy Comes Back in 2017, and Healing Time in 2022. She has also released three live albums, Stages in 2004, Live At Antone’s in 2011, and 2020’s Live at the Paramount.Now, with five Grammy nominations to her name, Ruthie Foster has achieved a long-awaited milestone: her very first Grammy win. Her latest album, Mileage, released on the legendary Sun Records, won Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 2025 Grammy Awards — a triumph not only for Foster, but also a historic first-ever Grammy win for Sun Records. The recognition underscores the power of Foster’s artistry and the enduring legacy of a label that continues to champion timeless voices. With soulful melodies, heartfelt lyrics, and unwavering commitment to her craft, Foster continues to carve out a path that is uniquely her own — inspiring audiences and fellow musicians alike.
Mike Zito
Short Bio
Mike Zito is one of the most lauded artists in the contemporary blues arena today and rightfully so, but for him, the thing that counts the most is maintaining his honesty, authenticity and integrity. Those are the qualities that have steered Zito’s career since the beginning and continue to define every effort he’s offered since.
“I have nothing to hide; it seems my honesty is what people relate to most,” he once told Vintage Guitar magazine. “Anders (Osborne) told me early on, ‘If you don’t believe what you’re singing, you’ll never be a good singer.’ I try not to write fluff; I try to make every word count.”
Naturally, patience and perseverance have been Zito’s stock and trade since the beginning. He began playing guitar at the age of five, and by the time he reached his late teens, he was already a fixture on the local St. Louis music scene. He initially released his music independently and then signed with Eclecto Groove Records in 2008. “Pearl River,” the title track of his 2009 album for the label, won Song of the Year at the Blues Music Awards and marked his first collaboration with Cyril Neville, with whom he’d later work in the Royal Southern Brotherhood. A steady succession of critically acclaimed albums followed, culminating in 2011’s Greyhound, which was nominated for Best Rock Blues Album at that year’s Blue Music Awards ceremony in Memphis. Two years later, he signed with Ruf Records and released Gone to Texas, the story of how he gained his sobriety, offered an emotional homage to the state that left an indelible imprint on his entire life. It also marked the debut of his band, The Wheel.
From 2010 to 2014, Zito also played an integral role in the super group of sorts, Royal Southern Brotherhood. The group released two albums and a DVD, Songs from the Road – Live in Germany, winner of the year’s Blues Music Award for Best DVD. He also made his mark behind the boards by producing albums for Samantha Fish, Albert Castiglia, Ally Venable, Jeremiah Johnson, Jimmy Carpenter, and many others.
Meanwhile, the accolades kept coming. His album, Make Blues Not War, debuted on the Billboard Blues Album Chart at number one and garnered him recognition as the 2018 Rock Blues Artist of the Year at the Blues Music Awards. First Class Life followed suit, also entering the charts at number one. Alternate Root magazine insisted that “The First Class Life that Mike Zito titles his upcoming album can be heard in the sweet sound of Blue Soul rising like heat waves from his guitar and his vocal.” American Blues Scene said, “Mike Zito’s return to the blues is, in a word, triumphant!” No Depression declared, “Once again, Zito has delivered the goods, a first class package with no postage due.”
In 2019, Zito released a tribute album of fellow St. Louis native and rock ‘n’ roll legend, Chuck Berry, and featured an array of guest guitarists ranging from Joe Bonamassa, Walter Trout and Eric Gales, to Robben Ford, Luther Dickinson and Sonny Landreth, as well as Berry’s own grandson. Rock ’n Roll: A Tribute to Chuck Berry debuted on the Billboard Blues Album Chart at number 1 and remained on the chart for several weeks. Rock ’N Roll won the Blues Music Award for Blues Rock Album of the year and Mike also received the Blues Music Award for Blues Rock artist.
At about the same time, Mike Zito partnered with Guy Hale to form the new record label Gulf Coast Records. Gulf Coast Records is based in Nederland, TX with a focus on Regional Roots, Blues and Americana genres. The mutual passion of the founders is to lift up artists and help them get their music out to the world.
Quarantine Blues, was recorded during the heart of the coronavirus pandemic and served as a healing love letter to his fans around the world that heralded better days ahead if we’d all just stick together. In 2021, Mike released Resurrection on his record label Gulf Coast Records. The new disc was produced by the celebrated Grammy-winner David Z, best known for his long-standing work with Prince, and who has contributed to albums by Etta James, Billy Idol, BoDeans, Buddy Guy and John Mayall, among many others.
“I have songs in me and musical ideas all of the time,” volunteers Mike Zito about the new album’s genesis. “I write what I can, when I can and try to save it all for posterity. Some of the songs are just songs and they don’t always have meaning for me, and some of them become very personal. For me to sing songs and feel them with real emotion, they need to be somewhat personal. Even songs I did not write, I need to feel they explain a part of my thinking or how I am feeling about love, sex, life, death, the world…. Resurrection is an album of feelings, emotions, and is very personal. The title track is how I once almost lost my love, but it came back stronger than ever. I have had this song in me for years, but it only makes sense now to share it with the world. After the year we have had on planet Earth, I believe we all need a rebirth. This rebirth has given me an opportunity to be who I want to be musically and artistically.”
Resurrection was a critic and fan favorite and later won the Blues Music Award for the 2022 Blues Rock Album of the year.
In 2022, Zito released the double live album Blues for the Southside. Recorded on November 26, 2021, at the Old Rock House in St. Louis, Missouri, and produced by Mike Zito, Blues for the Southside showcases Zito (guitar, vocals) and his stellar band in full fury with special guests Tony Campanella, Dave Kalz and guitar wizard Eric Gales. After the release of Blues for the Southside, Zito joined forces with Gulf Coast Records label mate Albert Castiglia and created the Blood Brothers tour.
Short Bio
Eden Brent
Eden Brent is a piano-pounding, juke-joint hollering powerhouse—a celebrated songwriter and electrifying performer whose soulful sound and magnetic stage presence have captivated audiences around the world. Hailing from Greenville, Mississippi—the literary heart of the Delta—Brent was born into a family of riverboat captains and guitar pickers, her story as rich and colorful as any penned by Eudora Welty or Tennessee Williams.
She spent the first two decades of her career under the wing of blues legend Abie “Boogaloo” Ames, learning the craft from the ground up. That mentorship paid off when she won the Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge, launching her onto the global stage.
Since then, Eden has become a fixture in the blues world, racking up steady accolades, including three Blues Music Awards. Her highly anticipated new album, Getaway Blues, showcases nine original songs recorded live in London with a crack four-piece band and released on Yellow Dog Records. Laid down in London. Mixed in Memphis. Made in Mississippi.
Eden's work has been featured in three documentaries—Boogaloo & Eden: Sustaining the Sound, Forty Days in the Delta, and 180 Degrees: Changing Lives in the Mississippi Delta—as well as in major outlets such as Living Blues, USA Today, and Garden & Gun. She’s been heard on national radio, including NPR’s Weekend Edition and American Routes, and honored among Mississippi’s living blues legends in H.C. Porter’s touring exhibit and companion book Blues@Home.
With every performance, Eden Brent keeps the Delta spirit alive—her music thrilling critics and enchanting live audiences with every note.
Jack Hadley W/ Peaches Embry
Short Bio
Jack Hadley was born in the Philippines into a military family. When they returned to America, they were stationed in San Francisco where he spent his childhood in the Haight-Ashbury district. Jack's mother bought him an acoustic guitar at an early age to keep him busy. The family eventually moved to Denver, Colorado, where he learned to play music by ear, playing everything from Hendrix to Dylan, unaware that he was learning the foundation of American music – the Blues.
Jack played in a number of bands, sharpening his guitar skills and discovering his vocal talent along the way. He began performing as a solo artist and played countless shows as a hired gun. In 2005, Jack decided to focus on writing and performing his own blues-based material with his trio, The Jack Hadley Band. That same year he was playing at a local club when he was approached by blues veteran Otis Taylor, who happened to be in the audience. For the next 18 months, Jack was Taylor’s lead guitarist, playing festivals and shows all over the USA, Canada and the United Kingdom. He appears on Otis Taylor’s 2007 Telarc release “Definition Of A Circle” playing lead guitar and lap steel. Notable musicians on this recording include ex-Thin Lizzy axeman Gary Moore and blues harmonica legend Charlie Musselwhite. In November, 2006 he recorded two songs with keyboard wizard Steve McQuarry at the legendary Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco including his revolutionary track “You & Me”.
Some of Jack’s notable performances include: live on the BBC in London with Otis Taylor | Blues From The Top | BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups | Brighton Blues Blast | Snowy Range Music Festival | The Rauma Blues Festival in Rauma, Finland, backed by the St. Louis Blues All-Stars featuring keyboardist Bob Lohr, bassist Terry Coleman and drummer Keith Robinson. “The St. Louis Sessions” was released in October, 2014, on San Telmo Media. “Daybreak In Alabama - The Langston Hughes Project” was released in July 2020. This project features songs written by Jack, based on the poetry of Langston Hughes. Taj Mahal bassist Bill Rich holds down the bottom end, along with drummer Bill Larson and jazz guitarist Rich Gibbins.
His newest project is "Jack Hadley - The St. Louis Sessions Volume II". The music was released in April, 2024, and once again features The St. Louis Blues All-Stars and drummer Chris Millar.
Grant Sabin
Short Bio
Grant Sabin is renowned for his hard work as a musician and songwriter, performing throughout Colorado and beyond. As a solo artist he's been captivating audiences for years with his raw voice and dynamic stage presence. As a band leader, he turns the volume up to 11. Drawing from his Delta blues influences, Sabin's unique musical style is characterized by his biting slide guitar, soulful growl, and heartfelt lyrics. Sabin has shared the stage with artists like: T Model Ford, Patrick Sweaney, Booker T Jones (Of Booker T and the MGs), Otis Taylor, Guy Davis, Los Lobos, G-Love, Charlie Parr,
John Fogerty and more. His honest and convincing approach to the blues, folk, hip-hop and rock genres makes him one of the rare few to possess innate musical talent. It's no wonder people say he is one of those performers who "just has it."