Ghost Town Blues Band is an American

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

and

blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...

band. Formed in 2009 in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, United States, they have released five albums (including one live recording) since 2010. Their 2019 album, ''Shine'', reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' Top Blues Albums Chart. They have opened for the

Steve Miller Band The Steve Miller Band is an American rock music, rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller (musician), Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles t ...

John Mayall John Mayall, OBE (born 29 November 1933) is an English blues singer, musician and songwriter, whose musical career spans over sixty years. In the 1960s, he was the founder of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among it ...

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 ...

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 ...

, John Lee Hooker Jr. and

Booker T. Jones Booker Taliaferro Jones Jr. (born November 12, 1944) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and arranger, best known as the frontman of the band Booker T. & the M.G.'s. He has also worked in the studios with many well-known art ...

. ''

Living Blues ''Living Blues: The Magazine of the African American Blues Tradition'' is a bi-monthly magazine focused on blues music, and America's oldest blues periodical. The magazine was founded as a quarterly in Chicago in 1970 by Jim O'Neal and Amy van Sin ...

'' magazine stated "GTBB shows what can happen when the past is distilled through young sensibilities, voices, and instruments. This is 21st century blues at its best." The six piece band uses an unusual array of musical instruments, including organs, cigar box guitars, harmonicas, electric push brooms, plus brass and percussion.

Career

Matt Isbell, who became the Ghost Town Blues band's frontman, took piano lessons from the age of 10, but was drawn towards the guitar. He learned to play at home on a small guitar with only three viable strings, and played in an

open chord In music for stringed instruments, especially guitar, an open chord (open-position chord) is a chord that includes one or more strings that are not fingered. An open string vibrates freely, whereas a fingered string will be partially dampened u ...

style, a technique which he still uses today on his home-made

cigar box guitar The cigar box guitar is a simple chordophone that uses an empty cigar box as a resonator. The earliest had one or two strings; modern models typically have three or more. Generally, the strings are connected to the end of a broomstick or a 1×2 i ...

s. Having seen

Todd Snider Todd Daniel Snider (born October 11, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter whose music incorporates elements of folk, rock, blues, alt country, and funk. Early career Todd Snider was born in Portland, Oregon, but was raised in nearby Beave ...

busking on

Beale Street Beale Street is a street in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee, which runs from the Mississippi River to East Street, a distance of approximately . It is a significant location in the city's history, as well as in the history of blues music. Today, th ...

, and getting a six-string acoustic

Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 174616 April 1828) was a Spanish romantic painter and printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His paintings, drawings, and ...

dreadnought for his 12th birthday, Isbell attempted to learn to play every track on Snider's 1994 album, '' Songs for the Daily Planet''. In high school Isbell formed his first band, The Blind Venetians, along with current Ghost Town lead guitarist Taylor Orr. They recorded one record at the joint age of 15, but the band broke up when the members graduated. Isbell then spent the next seven years in a rock band playing

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s, but when his mother died suddenly from a stroke, Isbell started to reassess his future. In 2007, he became a student in the

University of Memphis } The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public university, public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students. The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering ...

music business program and released a solo album, ''Rock Lotto'', later becoming a member of the

Stax Music Academy Stax Music Academy is an after school and summer music school in South Memphis, Tennessee. The program has included instruction from many prominent musicians. Alumni include Kris Thomas, a top ten contender on The Voice and Kirby Lauryen, a Roc Na ...

SNAP! program. With the intention of forming a new band, Isbell found another young musician in Suavo Jones, an ever-present in the line-up. They were initially joined by Jeremy Powell, a keyboardist who went on to work with

Eddie Palmieri Eddie Palmieri (born December 15, 1936) is an American Grammy Award-winning pianist, bandleader, musician, and composer of Puerto Rican ancestry. He is the founder of the bands La Perfecta, La Perfecta II, and Harlem River Drive. Early life Pal ...

and Southern Avenue. While in their formative state, the band's name and now trademark second-line entrance to the stage, arose from their inability to draw a crowd. "Nobody was in the club half the time when we'd play," Isbell remembered. "We'd say: 'It's a ghost town in here. We must be the Ghost Town Blues Band.'" In attempting to boost trade they decided to take their music out on to Beale Street, which led to the origination of their second-line. Their fusion approach to playing is rooted in Isbell's singer-songwriter background, whereas Suavo had a grounding in hip hop. More recent keyboardist recruit, Cedric Taylor, has Southern rock leanings and, after lengthy persuasion, Taylor Orr was employed. Bass player Matt Karner is a native of northern

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, and has a jazz based upbringing. Andrew McNeill is the band's drummer. Debuting in 2009, the outfit was originally a blues rock band, playing music such as the

Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival, also referred to as Creedence and CCR, was an American rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band initially consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty; his brother, ...

version of

Screamin' Jay Hawkins Jalacy J. "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins (July 18, 1929 – February 12, 2000) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, film producer, and boxer. Famed chiefly for his powerful, operatic vocal delivery and wildly theatrical performances of s ...

's "

I Put A Spell On You "I Put a Spell on You" is a 1956 song written and composed by Jalacy "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins, whose own recording of it was selected as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. It was also included in Rober ...

". Nevertheless, their debut album, ''Dust The Dust'' (2010), only contained five covers. Released via Inside Sounds, ''Dust the Dust'' received radio airplay in both the US and Europe. The recording won the European Independent Music Label Award for 'Top Sound' in blues. The album, ''Dark Horse'', followed in 2012. In 2012, the Ghost Town Blues Band played at the Crossroads Blues & Heritage Festival in

Rosedale, Mississippi Rosedale is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi, Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,873 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, down from 2,414 in 2000. Located in an agricultural area, the city had a stop on ...

. In 2014 the band, having made the finals for the second year running, came runners up to Mr. Sipp in the

International Blues Challenge The International Blues Challenge (IBC) is a music competition run by the Blues Foundation. Notable blues artists that have competed in the IBC over the years also includes Fiona Boyes, Eden Brent, Michael Burks, Tommy Castro, Sean Costello, Alb ...

. ''Hard Road To Hoe'' was released in 2015, and the album track's opened with an original composition by Taylor Orr, "Another Lover". Although it was self released, the album got the band a higher profile. They were nominated for the Best Blues Band Award for the 2015 Blues Blast Music Awards, the first of multiple nominations. They performed for a whole tour as the opening act for the

, plus played at a number of festivals across the US, and were booked on 12 overseas tours in 2017 and 2018. On February 27, 2018, the Ghost Town Blues Band issued a live album, ''Backstage Pass'', which captured a concert in Memphis on July 29, 2017. It was the band's fourth album. The recording started with a cover of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' "

Come Together "Come Together" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song is the opening track on their 1969 album ''Abbey Road'' and was also released as a single coupled with "Somethin ...

", and provided a showcase for the twin guitars of Taylor Orr and Matt Isbell on their version of

The Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman (founder, slide guitar and lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards, songwriting), as well as Dickey Betts (lead guita ...

song, "

Whipping Post The pillory is a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse. The pillory is related to the stock ...

". ''Backstage Pass'' climbed to No. 4 on US ''Billboard'' Top Blues Albums Chart. Their latest album, ''Shine'', debuted at No. 1 on ''Billboards Top Blues Album Chart in October 2019. They had previously headlined on the blues stage at the

Montreal International Jazz Festival The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal ( en, Montreal International Jazz Festival) is an annual jazz festival held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Jazz Fest holds the 2004 Guinness World Record as the world's largest jazz fest ...

and performed more than a half-dozen international tours in Canada and Europe in 2019.

Musical instruments

Isbell is a prolific three string cigar box guitar maker, having manufactured over 450 instruments since 2010. His clientele has included Eric Schrenkman of the

Spin Doctors Spin Doctors are an American alternative rock band from New York City, best known for their early 1990s hits "Two Princes" and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong", which peaked on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at No. 7 and N ...

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

Michael Leonhart Michael Leonhart (born April 21, 1974) is an American jazz trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist. Solo career In 1992 Leonhart was honored with the first Grammy Award for outstanding high school musician in the US (he attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia ...

Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band founded in 1971 in New York by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Initially the band had a stable lineup, but in 1974, Becker and Fagen retired from live ...

and

Joe Bonamassa Joseph Leonard Bonamassa ( ; born May 8, 1977) is an American blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. He started his career at age twelve, when he opened for B.B. King. Since 2000, Bonamassa has released fifteen solo albums through his inde ...

. All guitars are fretless and are designed to play using a slide, of which Isbell makes about 200 a month, manufactured in his home garage.

Awards

Ghost Town Blues Band was placed second in the

in 2014. They were the winner of the International Songwriting Competition in 2015.

Band members

Current

*Andrew McNeill (drums) *Matt Karner (bass guitar) *Matt Isbell (multi-instruments, vocals) *Suavo Jones (trombone, rap and backing vocals) *Cedric Taylor (keyboards) *Taylor Orr (lead guitar)

*Kevin Houston (saxophone) *Tim Stanek (keyboards) *Dusty Sikes (bass guitar) *Josh Roberts (lead guitar)

Discography

References

External links

Official websiteDiscogs entry
{{Authority control American blues musical groups American blues rock musical groups American musical sextets Musical groups established in 2009 Musical groups from Memphis, Tennessee 2009 establishments in Tennessee Contemporary blues musicians