Uddevalla
Uddevalla (old no, Oddevold) is a town and the seat of Uddevalla Municipality in Västra Götaland County, Sweden. In 2015, it had a population of 34 781.
It is located at a bay of the south-eastern part of Skagerrak. The beaches of Uddevalla are ...
, Sweden) is an American singer-songwriter. He tours solo and with a band, and often plays in North Mississippi Osborne (N.M.O), a group formed by Osborne and
North Mississippi Allstars
North Mississippi Allstars is an American blues and southern rock band from Hernando, Mississippi, founded in 1996. The band is currently composed of brothers Luther Dickinson (guitar, lowebow, vocals) and Cody Dickinson (drums, keyboards, elect ...
.
Early life
As a teen, Osborne started playing guitar and listening to
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
,
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay ...
,
Jackson Browne
Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and political activist who has sold over 18 million albums in the United States.
Emerging as a precocious teenage songwriter in mid-1960s Los Angeles, he h ...
, and
Joni Mitchell
Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...
records. He was influenced by the vocal styles of
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...
,
Van Morrison
Sir George Ivan Morrison (born 31 August 1945), known professionally as Van Morrison, is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose recording career spans seven decades. He has won two Grammy Awards.
As a teenager in t ...
and
Lowell George
Lowell Thomas George (April 13, 1945 – June 29, 1979) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer, who was the primary guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and founder/leader for the rock band Little Feat.
Earl ...
,
Robert Johnson
Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generati ...
and recordings of African drumming. "Blues connected everything together for me," Osborne recalls. "The early rock, the R&B, the jazz, the singer-songwriters. Blues was like a thread running through everything." He began playing in Open D tuning, which gives his fretwork a signature sound and feel. "I first heard Open D on Joni Mitchell's ''
Blue
Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obs ...
''," he says, "and my fingers just fit the tuning."
Okeh records
Osborne and his band toured the U.S. during these years and in 1995, he was signed to
Okeh Records
Okeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name was spelled "OkeH" from the initials of Ott ...
. He released ''Which Way to Here'', an album that dealt with spirituality and tolerance. The record became Osborne's first commercial break with two top-five singles "Favorite Son" and "Pleasin' You." Both were featured in several Hollywood movies, and the latter was later recorded by
Jonny Lang
Jon Gordon Langseth Jr. (born January 29, 1981), known as Jonny Lang, is an American blues, gospel, and rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He has made five albums that have charted on the top 50 of the ''Billboard'' 200 chart and has wo ...
.
Shanachie Entertainment
Shanachie Entertainment
Shanachie Records is an American, New Jersey-based record label, founded in 1975 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. The label is named for the Gaelic word ''seanchaí'' (anglicised as shanachie), an Irish storyteller.
It was previously distribu ...
signed Osborne in 1998 and, in 1999, released his fourth album, ''Living Room'', a personal record that signified some new directions in Osborne's music after the breakup with his longtime accompanist
Theresa Andersson
Theresa Andersson (born 11 September 1971) is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
History
General
Andersson came to New Orleans in 1990 to play violin with fellow singer-songwriter and Swede, Anders Osborne. Nine years later, she ...
, drug use, and a family death. This album also features guest appearances by
Keb' Mo'
Kevin Roosevelt Moore (born October 3, 1951), known as Keb' Mo', is an American blues musician and five-time Grammy Award winner. He is a singer, guitarist, and songwriter, living in Nashville, Tennessee. He has been described as "a living link ...
, Kirk Joseph and Tommy Malone.
Besides writing for his own album, Osborne has had a number of his songs successfully recorded by other artists. Keb' Mo's 1999 Grammy Award winning album ''Slow Down'', featured two songs co-written with Osborne.
After his Shanachie recordings, Osborne worked as a professional songwriter in New Orleans and then in Nashville, first for
PolyGram
PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...
and then its successor
Universal Music
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, Dutch law. UMG's cor ...
. His song, "Watch the Wind Blow By," was recorded by the country musician
Tim McGraw
Samuel Timothy McGraw (born May 1, 1967) is an American country singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He has released 16 studio albums (11 for Curb Records, four for Big Machine Records and one for Arista Nashville). 10 of those album ...
, hitting No. 1 on the country charts for two weeks and selling over three million albums.
More recently, he has co-written with
Tab Benoit
Tab Benoit (born November 17, 1967) is an American blues guitarist, musician, and singer. His playing combines a number of blues styles, primarily Delta blues.
He plays a stock 1972 Fender Telecaster Thinline electric guitar and writes his own ...
,
Mike Zito
Mike Zito (born November 19, 1970) is an American guitarist, singer, record producer, and songwriter from St. Louis, Missouri, United States. He is a co-founder of Royal Southern Brotherhood that features Cyril Neville, Devon Allman, Charlie Wooto ...
and
Johnny Sansone
John "Johnny" Sansone (born September 27, 1957), also known as Jumpin' Johnny Sansone, is an American electric blues singer, songwriter, harmonicist, accordionist, guitarist and piano player. He was nominated for seven music awards in 2012, incl ...
, for whom he's also served as producer.
M.C. Records
Returning to New Orleans from Nashville, he recorded ''Coming Down'' (2007), a stripped-down semi-acoustic album which was released on the M.C. label and was nominated for the 8th Annual Independent Music Awards Folk/Singer-Songwriter Album of the Year.
Alligator records
In 2009, Osborne recorded a new, full band album co-produced by Osborne,
Galactic
Galactic is an American jam band from New Orleans, Louisiana.
Origins and background
Formed in 1994 as an octet (under the name Galactic Prophylactic) and including singer Chris Lane and guitarist Rob Gowen, the group was soon pared down to a ...
’s
Stanton Moore
Stanton Moore (born July 9, 1972) is an American funk, jazz, and rock drummer from New Orleans. Most widely known as a founding member of Galactic, Moore has also pursued a solo recording career (beginning with his 1998 debut ''All Kooked Out! ...
and
Pepper Keenan
Pepper J. Keenan (born May 8, 1967) is an American guitarist and vocalist, best known for his work with heavy metal bands Corrosion of Conformity and Down. He joined Corrosion of Conformity in 1989, but did not become the lead singer until the ...
. All songs on the album were written or co-written by Osborne. The album was picked up by Chicago-based
Alligator Records
Alligator Records is an American, Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971. Iglauer was also one of the founders of the ''Living Blues'' magazine in Chicago in 1970.
History
Iglauer started the label using hi ...
, who signed Osborne and released the new recording in 2010 under the title ''American Patchwork''. New Orleans’ '' OffBeat'' magazine praised the album, saying, "American Patchwork is the album Osborne fans have been waiting for. The record is a focused and tuneful triumph. Osborne's gifts as a guitar player are significant. His voice is so emotionally intense it feels like an explosion. He writes with remarkable eloquence...this is the living definition of great art." ''
Relix
''Relix'', originally and occasionally later ''Dead Relix'', is a magazine that focuses on live and improvisational music. The magazine was launched in 1974 as a handmade newsletter devoted to connecting people who recorded Grateful Dead concert ...
'' described the album as "raging, expressive guitar and soulful singing...from scorched-earth rock to sweet, tender ballads."
Since the release of ''American Patchwork'', Osborne has toured virtually non-stop, performing with his own band, solo with
Keb Mo
Kevin Roosevelt Moore (born October 3, 1951), known as Keb' Mo', is an American blues musician and five-time Grammy Award winner. He is a singer, guitarist, and songwriter, living in Nashville, Tennessee. He has been described as "a living link ...
, with The
Stanton Moore
Stanton Moore (born July 9, 1972) is an American funk, jazz, and rock drummer from New Orleans. Most widely known as a founding member of Galactic, Moore has also pursued a solo recording career (beginning with his 1998 debut ''All Kooked Out! ...
Trio, with
Toots and the Maytals
The Maytals, known from 1972 to 2020 as Toots and the Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group, one of the best known ska and rocksteady vocal groups. The Maytals were formed in the early 1960s and were key figures in popularizing reggae music.
...
, alongside
Karl Denson
Karl Denson (born December 27, 1956) is an American funk and jazz saxophonist, flutist and vocalist from Santa Ana, California. He was a member of Lenny Kravitz's band and has co-founded and led The Greyboy Allstars. Denson has recorded with art ...
’s Tiny Universe and with
Luther Dickinson
Luther Andrews Dickinson (born January 18, 1973) is the lead guitarist and vocalist for the North Mississippi Allstars and the son of record producer Jim Dickinson. He is also known for being the lead guitarist for The Black Crowes. He hosts ''G ...
as well as with The Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars. He appeared on
Galactic
Galactic is an American jam band from New Orleans, Louisiana.
Origins and background
Formed in 1994 as an octet (under the name Galactic Prophylactic) and including singer Chris Lane and guitarist Rob Gowen, the group was soon pared down to a ...
’s song "Dark Water" from their ''Ya Ka Ma'' album, and in 2011 produced and played on critically acclaimed albums by
Tab Benoit
Tab Benoit (born November 17, 1967) is an American blues guitarist, musician, and singer. His playing combines a number of blues styles, primarily Delta blues.
He plays a stock 1972 Fender Telecaster Thinline electric guitar and writes his own ...
,
Johnny Sansone
John "Johnny" Sansone (born September 27, 1957), also known as Jumpin' Johnny Sansone, is an American electric blues singer, songwriter, harmonicist, accordionist, guitarist and piano player. He was nominated for seven music awards in 2012, incl ...
and
Mike Zito
Mike Zito (born November 19, 1970) is an American guitarist, singer, record producer, and songwriter from St. Louis, Missouri, United States. He is a co-founder of Royal Southern Brotherhood that features Cyril Neville, Devon Allman, Charlie Wooto ...
. In 2012, he played on and acted as associate producer of
Billy Iuso
Billy Iuso (born January 26, 1969, in Port Chester, N.Y.) is a New Orleans-based guitarist, singer and songwriter. In addition to performing solo and collaborating with artists such as Anders Osborne and George Porter Jr., he is the leader of ...
’s ''Naked'' album.
Along the way, he also found time to write and record ''Black Eye Galaxy'', released in 2012. Recorded at Dockside Studio in
Maurice, Louisiana
Maurice is a town in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 964 at the 2010 census and 2,118 for the 2020 Census. It is part of the Abbeville micropolitan statistical area.
History
The village, originally called ''"Ma ...
, the album was produced by Osborne along with engineer Warren Riker and
Galactic
Galactic is an American jam band from New Orleans, Louisiana.
Origins and background
Formed in 1994 as an octet (under the name Galactic Prophylactic) and including singer Chris Lane and guitarist Rob Gowen, the group was soon pared down to a ...
's
Stanton Moore
Stanton Moore (born July 9, 1972) is an American funk, jazz, and rock drummer from New Orleans. Most widely known as a founding member of Galactic, Moore has also pursued a solo recording career (beginning with his 1998 debut ''All Kooked Out! ...
. It's sounds range from heavy electric mayhem to acoustic melodicism. ''Blurt'' Magazine said, "Black Eye Galaxy is a work of art – a throwback to the days before corporations completely controlled and corrupted media and culture. It is the struggle of a man to survive addiction and find some peace and redemption. Great art is not afraid to say something and take big risks. And on each work he does, Osborne grows as an artist. We are lucky to get a chance to witness this. The blues is about hard truth and healing. And to the extent he covers both; you could say he is a blues guy. Kudos must go to Alligator Records – a great if not our greatest-blues label – for letting Anders Osborne follow his vision, inspire us with his story and dazzle us with his craft. Black Eye Galaxy is a great album."
In late 2012, he was back in the studio recording a six-song EP entitled ''Three Free Amigos'', which was released by
Alligator
An alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A. sinensis''). Additiona ...
early in 2013. The EP, produced by Osborne and Warren Riker, focused more on Osborne's melodic, acoustic side. Players included Osborne's touring band of bassist Carl Dufresne and drummer Eric Bolivar, plus guitarist Billy Iuso and multi-instrumentalist Johnny Sansone, Osborne himself played guitar, bass, keyboards and drums on various tracks. It was described by ''Relix'' as "rugged, soulful singing superb hard-hitting songs...A phenomenal blend of self-awareness, spirit and muscle."
Osborne continues to tour almost constantly, both with his own band and in combination with other artists. He's appeared multiple times at the
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of visitors to New ...
as well as at
Bonnaroo Music Festival
The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival is an American annual four-day music festival developed and founded by Superfly Presents and AC Entertainment. Since its first year in 2002, it has been held at what is now Great Stage Park on a farm in ...
Hangout Festival
The Hangout Music Festival (commonly referred to as Hangout Fest or Hangout) is an annual three-day music festival held on the white sand beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama. The main stages are the Hangout Stage and the Surf Stage (located on opposit ...
Central Park SummerStage
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
, Miami Valley Music fest, as well as playing with
Phil Lesh
Philip Chapman Lesh (born March 15, 1940) is an American musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career.
After the band's disbanding in 1995, Lesh continued the tradition of ...
and others at
Terrapin Crossroads
Terrapin Crossroads was a music venue,, bar, and restaurant active from 2011 until 2021 in San Rafael, California, founded by former Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh.
Concept
On March 29, 2011, Phil Lesh posted a statement on the Furthur.net site ...
.
In 2015, Osborne was included in the all-star cast headed by
Derek Trucks
Derek Trucks (born June 8, 1979) is an American guitarist, songwriter, and founder of The Derek Trucks Band. He became an official member of The Allman Brothers Band in 1999. In 2010, he formed the Tedeschi Trucks Band with his wife, blues sing ...
and
Susan Tedeschi
Susan Tedeschi (; born November 9, 1970) is an American singer and guitarist. A multiple Grammy Award nominee, she is a member of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, a conglomeration of her band, her husband Derek Trucks’ and other musicians.
Early li ...
of Tedeschi Trucks Band in a memorial concert to honor Joe Cocker Mad Dogs & Englishmen at the Lockn' Festival.
His album, ''Peace'', was released on October 8, 2013. Osborne was quoted as saying, "Peace is light from darkness. The songs are written from the outside looking in. They are not making any judgments. I'm just stating facts. I'm writing from a brighter perspective. There's less dusk and dark, and much more sunlight. The results are greater than I expected. The driving tones and sounds are free and natural. This is one of the coolest records I’ve ever made."
Back on Dumaine records
In fall of 2014 and March 2015, Osborne recorded album '' Spacedust & Ocean Views'' in New Orleans; it was released on March 18, 2016. His next album, ''
Flower Box
A flower box is a type of container in the form of a planter or box that is usually placed outdoors and used for displaying live plants and flowers, but it may also be used for growing herbs or other edible plants.
It is usually placed or affixed ...
'', was released on July 22, 2016. Anders' third offering on the label the award winning Buddha and the Blues came out in 2019.
Discography
Albums
*1989: ''Doin' Fine'' (Rabadash)
*1993: ''Break The Chain'' (Rabadash)
*1995: ''Which Way to Here'' (Okeh)
*1996: Break the Chain (Shanachie)
*1998: ''Live at
Tipitina's
Tipitina's is a music venue located at the corner of Napoleon Avenue and Tchoupitoulas Street in Uptown New Orleans, Uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.
History
Local music enthusiasts opened the venue on January 14, 1977.Big Chief Monk
*2007: ''Coming Down'' (M.C. Records)
*2010: ''American Patchwork'' (
Alligator Records
Alligator Records is an American, Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971. Iglauer was also one of the founders of the ''Living Blues'' magazine in Chicago in 1970.
History
Iglauer started the label using hi ...
)
*2012: ''Black Eye Galaxy'' (
Alligator Records
Alligator Records is an American, Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971. Iglauer was also one of the founders of the ''Living Blues'' magazine in Chicago in 1970.
History
Iglauer started the label using hi ...
)
*2013: ''Peace'' (
Alligator Records
Alligator Records is an American, Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971. Iglauer was also one of the founders of the ''Living Blues'' magazine in Chicago in 1970.
History
Iglauer started the label using hi ...
Flower Box
A flower box is a type of container in the form of a planter or box that is usually placed outdoors and used for displaying live plants and flowers, but it may also be used for growing herbs or other edible plants.
It is usually placed or affixed ...
'' (Back on Dumaine Records)
*2019: '' Buddha & The Blues'' (Back on Dumaine Records)
*2021: ''Orpheus and the Mermaids'' (5th Ward Records)
Live albums
*2006" Live at Tipitinas" (MunckMix, Inc. )
*2011: ''Live at 2011 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival'' (MunckMix, Inc.)
EPs
*2013: ''Three Free Amigos'' EP (
Alligator Records
Alligator Records is an American, Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971. Iglauer was also one of the founders of the ''Living Blues'' magazine in Chicago in 1970.
History
Iglauer started the label using hi ...
)
Singles
*2017: "Liquor Drought" (Back on Dumaine Records)
North Mississippi Allstars and Anders Osborne
*Freedom & Dreams (NMO Records)
Awards
Best of the Beat Awards
Offbeat's Best of the Beat Awards pay tribute each year to musicians who are voted best in a variety of musical categories and genres.
The Big Easy Music Awards
The Big Easy Music Awards recognize top male and female performers, the best album of the year and winners in 15 music categories, including blues, jazz, Cajun, zydeco, rock and others.