Chris Bergson

With MOJO Magazine's #1 Blues Album of 2008, Fall Changes, and #2 Blues Album of 2011, Imitate the Sun, New York guitarist/singer Chris Bergson has established himself as “one of the most inventive songwriters in modern blues music.” (Richard Skelly, All Music Guide), creating his own blend of blues, roots and soul. Chris Bergson has performed and/or shared the stage with Hubert Sumlin, Levon Helm, Norah Jones, John Hammond, Little Sammy Davis, Etta James, Bettye LaVette, Annie Ross, Al Foster, and Matt Wilson, to name just a few.

“Bergson is the real deal...reminiscent of The Band at their best...high octane funk...wonderful stuff indeed!” Blues In The Northwest

“Gut-busting, horn-bedecked NY blues.” “A powerful spirit with flavours of Ray Charles and Tom Waits... These guys could strip down the engine of a soulbluesmobile and put it back together blindfold.” “The ambience of Chris Bergson's music is an Edward Hopper world of suspicion and solitude, dusk-time avenues and dimly lit bars...This is the terrain of Tom Waits and Lou Reed, and Bergson has something of each in his gruff, laconic delivery, but his sound is intransigently his own.” MOJO

“Outstanding. Deeply soulful vocals and dynamic fretwork.” Blues In Britain

“Bergson's stirring voice and glorious guitar command immediate attention.” “Chris Bergson writes memorable songs, sings them with passion, and plays such a mean guitar that the great Hubert Sumlin has been known to sit in at his gigs.” Blues Revue

“Upon first hearing guitar man Chris Bergson and his gravely southern drawl, which is a combination of Levon Helm and Gregg Allman, you can hardly believe this guy is from New York City. Imitate the Sun displays an artist dedicated to bringing blues and classic R&B into the future while honoring the past.” No Depression.com

“...satisfying blue-eyed soul, sad bastard storytelling, and tasty ensemble textures - where Bergson's voice, then guitar, prove to be both wise leaders, and worthy centers of attention…Bergson's lower-pitched tenor tends to emphasize taste and ornament over range, and his semi-hollow Gibson tones put him between the late Little Milton and Warren Haynes's current sound du jour...” Jambands.com

“Seriously street-smart songwriting and Allman-esque vocal prowess...” Gibson.com

“Chris Bergson plays the kind of guitar you can build a house on - it's B.B. meets Steve Cropper meets John Scofield.” ROLL Magazine

“No-one else making music in the modern world invokes the spirit of The Band like he does...” “...drawing intuitively and seamlessly from blues, country, folk, funk, soul and jazz, Bergson has the kind of voice that can be sepia-tinted, whiskey soaked or nicotine stained to fit the requisite style and mood, standing alongside Gregg Allman, Dr. John, Van Morrison and Danko/Helm.” Leicester Bangs

“Smoky flavors wafting from New York City up to the Catskill Mountains infiltrate the unfussy music of the Chris Bergson Band. Bergson's a spry, supple guitarist with an earthy singing voice and a blues-grounded heart...Keep a sharp eye on this guy.” Hittin’ the Note

“If you like the music of Coltrane, Muddy Waters and The Band, you will definitely like the Chris Bergson Band.” Rootstime

Born in New York City but raised in Somerville, Massachusetts, Chris Bergson returned to Manhattan in 1995. While backing jazz singers Annie Ross, Dena DeRose, Sasha Dobson and Norah Jones, he released Blues for Some Friends of Mine and Wait for Spring on Juniper Records in 1997 and 2000, respectively. In 2002 Bergson was appointed a Jazz Ambassador of the USA by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and he toured Africa with his trio. Evolving to further embrace the blues while also adding pop influences, he followed up with Blues (2003), Another Day (2005) and his triumphant artistic breakthrough, the widely acclaimed Fall Changes (2007) - MOJO’s #1 Blues Album of 2008 - that established him as an eloquent, evocative and lyrical songwriter with a sharp urban vision. Recorded at Levon Helm’s Woodstock studio, it led to Bergson being personally invited to perform at the famed drummer’s Midnight Rambles while opening the way for more stateside festivals and subsequent tours of Europe. The Chris Bergson Band's latest CD Imitate the Sun was named MOJO's #2 Blues Album of 2011.

Bergson has performed and/or shared the stage with Hubert Sumlin, Levon Helm, Norah Jones, John Hammond, Little Sammy Davis, Etta James, Bettye LaVette, Annie Ross, Al Foster, and Matt Wilson, to name just a few.

Notable past performances include: Blues in Hell (Norway), Harvest Time Blues (Ireland), Groningen Rhythm and Blues Night (Holland), Moulin Blues (Holland), Leicester Blues Festival (UK), River to River Festival (NYC), Joe’s Pub (NYC), B.B. King’s (NYC), The Blue Note (NYC), Jazz Standard (NYC), John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (DC), NY State Blues Festival and SXSW.

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