Unquestionably, one of the most exciting and important practitioners of the country blues, Alvin Youngblood Hart is what this website is all about. When this burly, dreadlocked, multi-instrumentalist and singer hit the blues scene in 1996 with his debut album Big Mama’s Door on the Okeh label, it was a fresh wind of rejuvenation for the traditional and acoustic blues. It was equal to Jimi Hendrix’s appearance on the London rock scene in 1967, as Alvin Youngblood Hart just left everyone standing in dumbfounded awe, wondering where this amazing guy just came from. For one thing, he is a master of the guitar, banjo and mandolin, plus a hauntingly strong blues singer extraordinaire with a style that incorporated seemingly everything that occurred in the blues scene from 1930 to 1950. His albums “Big Mama’s Door” and “Territory” stand as the best examples of superlative acoustic blues. Alvin Youngblood Hart has established himself as a giant in the genre, literally and figuratively. He just instantly propelled to the top of the heap. The most significant element of Hart’s music is sheer strength. He has mastered all the musical elements and styles of the blues. He has an attitude, an intrinsic confidence in what he is doing. There is just nothing that he does that does not turn to gold. He goes in many directions, including rock, but what he has done for this genre is invaluable. A versatile young Turk like Hart cannot be pigeonholed. He’s the best of the best, no matter what he touches.
