" Eric is one of the new, young singers that has appeared on the scene that, much to my delight, has a great voice, is an excellent performer, and has a great knowledge about the roots of this music. I love him. He is highly regarded amidst a select group of young, new, black interpreters of this music."

--Taj Mahal

Eric Bibb has fast become a notable personality on the acoustic folk-blues scene, and his extraordinary talent continues to draw critical acclaim in the U.S. and abroad. Since his first prominent performance at the London Blues Festival in May 1996, he has become a leading light in the current revival of acoustic blues music, gaining a loyal fan base seemingly overnight. Winner of the "Best Newcomer" title in the British Blues Awards, and a recipient of four W. C. Handy Nominations, Bibb has been appropriately described as "discreetly awesome" and "a total original."

Born in 1951, Bibb is a native New Yorker with deep roots in American Blues and Folk tradition. He is the son of folk and musical theatre singer and television personality, Leon Bibb, who was part of the ‘60s Greenwich Village Folk scene. Bibb’s uncle is world famous jazz pianist/composer, John Lewis, of the Modern Jazz Quartet and singer/actor/activist Paul Robeson was his godfather. Surrounded by major musical figures of the day, the young Bibb was inspired and influenced by Odetta, Richie Havens, Pete Seeger, Earl Robinson, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins andmany others.

Bibb got his first steel stringed guitar when he was seven and began writing his own songs at age 11. By junior high school, he was consumed by music, occasionally skipping school so he could stay home and "do my own personal DJ thing all day long, playing Odetta, Joan Baez, The New Lost City Ramblers, Josh White… looking for songs that I could sing; copying lyrics, trying to learn the chords…". While in school, Bibb played concert bass, sang in choirs and was a vocal student at the High School of Music and Art in Harlem. He also studied classical guitar and piano for a bit, but never considered himself a diligent student. "What I got from my teachers was the desire to go to the bottom of the well with music and an understanding that one never quite reaches the bottom. If they didn’t teach me their craft, they, at the very least, taught me to appreciate the depth. I was very critical as a listener, even at a young age. I knew what touched me personally and I knew what I appreciated as simply good music. And there was a difference."

At age 16, Bibb’s father invited him to play guitar in the house band for his television show, "Someone New". Two years later, Bibb was playing guitar for the Negro Ensemble Company at St. Mark’s Place in New York. He attended Columbia University on a scholarship studying Psychology and Russian. At age 19, the musical spell and an urge to travel prevailed and he left New York for Paris, where he made his way playing in restaurants, traveling from Paris to Sweden. He settled in Sweden during the ‘70s, where he lived for the better part of two decades, and recently he relocated to England.

Bibb’s first signing was to BMG/Sweden in the early ‘80s, as a writer. He later signed to the independent Swedish label OPUS 3, producing several albums; Spirit & The Blues and Good Stuff were released in the United States on EarthBeat!, helping to place Bibb more prominently in the international spotlight. The albums were recorded with one microphone -- no mixing or dubbing, as that is the only way OPUS 3 records. Bibb refers to these albums as "frozen documents in time." He saw it as both an opportunity and a challenge to record in this manner. Both albums featured the Needed Time band.

Bibb went to London in 1996 at the invitation of the London Blues Festival. Since then, he has toured the world, enjoying success in the UK, USA, Canada, France, Sweden, Ireland and Germany, appearing on major television shows and radio programs. He has performed at many major festivals including Glastonbury, The Barbican American Festival, The Guinness Blues Festival, Midfytns Festival, Cognac Blues Festival, Vancouver Folk Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, Chicago World Music Festival, Bull Durham Blues Festival, Seattle’s Earshot Jazz Festival, Chicago World Music Festival, San Francisco Jazz Festival and others.

See About Eric for more info

Recent quotes worth repeating…

"Were it not for Bob Dylan’s Love and Theft, Eric Bibb’s Painting Signs would be the
best blues album released this year. " - John Metzger, Editor Music Box

"I think it was Greil Marcus who said the Van Morrison albums fell into one of two
categories: "good" or "great." That’s the way Eric Bibb’s songs are." - Blues Access Magazine

"…an innovative acoustic blues artist… Those new to this talented artist will be impressed by his ability to balance traditionalism and originality" - Living Blues Magazine

"Eric Bibb’s albums continue to be among the most inspired, and inspirational, releases in the current acoustic blues revival" - Sing Out!

"In this business it is important to be reminded occasionally, that it is the talent and genius of our artists that fuel everything we do. Eric Bibb is just such a reminder."
--Dave Mount, Chairman and CEO, WEA Distribution

" some of the most untroubled-sounding blues this side of the Rev. Gary Davis. …Bibb is just about stunning".
-- Los Angeles Times