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Kenny Neal

Kenny Neal - guitar, vocals

“Let Life Flow” marks the return of multi-instrumentalist and modern swamp-blues master Kenny Neal, with an inspired set that draws musically from the sizzling sounds of his native Louisiana, while striking a deep, emotional resonance in response to the personal trials he has recently endured. For the past few years, health problems forced Kenny away from the studio and touring, and his first release since signing with Blind Pig Records finds him returning with a renewed vigor and outlook on life. “Let Life Flow” reflects his optimistic sense of perseverance, set to the soulful grooves that have garnered him a solid fan base over the past 20 years.

Neal, born in New Orleans and raised in Baton Rouge, began playing music at a very young age, learning the basics from his father, singer and blues harmonica player, Raful Neal, Jr. Family friends like Lazy Lester, Buddy Guy and Slim Harpo also contributed to Kenny's early musical education. In fact, it was Harpo who gave the crying three-year-old a harmonica to pacify him. Kenny stopped crying that day, and eventually learned to play the harmonica. Along the way, he also mastered the bass, trumpet, piano and guitar. At 13, he joined his father's band and began paying his musical dues. Four years later, he was recruited and toured extensively as Buddy Guy's bass player.

Following Buddy's advice to concentrate on his guitar playing, Kenny relocated to Toronto, and along with his brothers Raful, Noel, Larry and Ronnie - formed the Neal Brothers Band, honing his chops backing up visiting blues stars. Through the years, he has shared the stage or worked with a who's-who list of blues and R&B greats at one time or another, including B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Muddy Waters, Aaron Neville, Buddy Guy and John Lee Hooker. Later, he fronted Canada's Downchild Blues Band, before returning to Baton Rouge to begin his solo career.

Signing with Alligator Records in 1988, Kenny began releasing a series of consistently lauded albums featuring his laid-back, Baton Rouge blues, with a modern spin on the Louisiana sound he grew up with. Throughout this period, Kenny distinguished himself as one of the brightest prospects of the contemporary blues scene, receiving great critical acclaim in the process. The Chicago Tribune pegged Kenny as "one of a mere handful of truly inventive young contemporary guitarists, Neal has something fresh to say and the chops with which to say it," while AllMusic said his "gruff-before-their-time vocals retain their swamp sensibility, while assuming a bright contemporary feel that tabs him as a leading contender for future blues stardom." Blues Revue agreed, calling Kenny "one of the brightest young stars on the blues horizon, and a gifted artist." Over the years Kenny has been the recipient of a number of notable accolades, including the Big Bill Broonzy Blues Award in Paris (1989), Slim Harpo Award in Baton Rouge (2003), and Junior Wells Harmonica Award in Memphis (2007).

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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Let Life Flow

Blind Pig Records
2008

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