Yellowdog says ...
Bill Abel
Paul 'Wine' Jones
Marty Christian
David Lee Durham
Jimmy 'Duck' Holmes
Willie King
T-Model Ford
In 2006 Marty released his first solo album called Bluesicana, with ten original songs all dripping with that great southern flavor. Instead of trying to find more words to describe Marty’s music, my advise to you is listen to it! He won’t disappoint you.
Albums:
BLUESICANA
Debut album from 2006
Soul, Blues and Originals - a blend of Acoustic and Electric sounds from Louisiana and Texas.
UNDERGROUND BLUES
Read a review of this 2009 album [only in Dutch) on this site.
For more information and some music samples visit Marty's website at:
www.martychristian.com
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Marty Christian
how blues meets up with soul
Can white guys sing the blues? Well, if you take the time to listen to Marty Christian’s music your only answer to this question can be: yes, this white boy can.
Marty’s music can best be described as a strong mixture of different kinds of southern music. He plays the blues guitar and sings like a soul singer: Chicago blues meet Memphis soul, so to speak. His interpretations of blues originals are mixed with soul influences and the zydeco from the Louisiana swamps.
One night in May 2005 in Lafayette, Louisiana, my friend Peter and I and a student from France were so lucky to get a private concert from Marty and in an hour’s time he effortlessly switched styles from blues to swamp pop, from cajun to zydeco and from soul to rock. The whole rich musical heritage of the South concentrated right there in that room and his enthousiasm and love for the music kept him going that magical evening.
In an interview from that same period Marty said: “If I got to work at a car place five days a week and I can only play music on the weekend, so be it, as long as I get to sing my music for people who give a shit, for real, that’s what I want.”
It was clear to me that it was only a matter of time for him to start off a successful career as a professional musician.
Marty Christian is originally from Cleveland, Ohio, where he was a blues radio host for a while. In 1992 he settled in the live music capital of the world Austin, Texas, where he went on developing his music mostly performing for local audiences .
In 2004 Marty Christian – nicknamed Whiteboy - became guitarist and vocalist in a true Louisiana band: Thomas "Big Hat" Fields and His Foot Stompin' Zydeco Band. Having studied French doubtlessly contributed to him feeling very comfortable in this old-school Zydeco band from the Louisiana swamps.
While touring the South with "Big Hat" Marty Christian kept on playing solo and he gained some fame with his solo performances in the Blue Moon Saloon in Lafayette. After a few years Marty left Big Hat’s band to concentrate on his own songwriting and interpretations of blues and soul classics.
Lafayette became his new homebase in 2005 and gradually his popularity grew and he brought his music to the clubs and festivals in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and other southern states, very often accompanied by washboard player Joseph Edward, who played with Clifton Chenier and others.
At the Cafe des Amis in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana,
with Joseph Edward on washboard, 2007.
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