Bibb was born in New York; his father, Leon Bibb, is a singer in musical theatre who made a name for himself as part of the 1960s New York folk scene. His uncle was the jazz pianist and composer John Lewis, of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Family friends included Pete Seeger, Odetta and actor/singer/activist Paul Robeson, Bibb's godfather.
Eric Bibb in concert
He was given his first steel-string acoustic guitar aged seven. Growing up surrounded by talent, he recalls a childhood conversation with Bob Dylan, who, on the subject of guitar playing, advised the 11-year-old Bibb to "Keep it simple, forget all that fancy stuff".
Bibb remembers from his early teen years:
I would cut school and claim I was sick. When everyone would leave the house I would whip out all the records and do my own personal DJ thing all day long, playing Odetta, Joan Baez, the New Lost City Ramblers, Josh White.
At 16 years old, his father invited him to play guitar in the house band for his TV talent show "Someone New". Bill Lee, who played bass in this band, was later to appear on Bibb's albums Me To You and Friends.
In 1969, Bibb played guitar for the Negro Ensemble Company at St. Mark's Place in New York. He went on to study Psychology and Russian at Columbia University, but did not finish these studies. Aged 19, Bibb left for Paris, where he met guitarist Mickey Baker who focused his interest in blues guitar.
Bibb moved to Sweden and lived in Stockholm, where he immersed himself in pre-war blues and the newly-discovered world music scene, while he continued to write and perform.
The album Good Stuff was released in 1997 on Opus 3 and American label Earthbeat. Bibb signed to the British-based Code Blue label, but only released one album, Me to You, featuring appearances from some of Bibb's personal heroes, Pops and Mavis Staples, and Taj Mahal. This was followed by tours of the UK, USA, Canada, France, Sweden and Germany.
In the late 1990s Bibb joined forces with his then manager Alan Robinson to form Manhaton Records in Britain. The albums Home to Me (1999), Roadworks (2000) and Painting Signs (2001) followed, as did another Opus 3 release, Just Like Love.
After that, he made A Family Affair (2002) with his father, Leon Bibb – the first ever album recorded together by a father and son. This was followed by Natural Light then Friends – 15 tracks featuring Bibb duetting with friends and musicians he had met on his travels such as Taj Mahal, Odetta, Charlie Musselwhite, Guy Davis, Mamadou Diabate and Djelimady Toukara.
[edit] Appearances This section may contain wording that promotes the subject in a subjective manner without imparting real information. Please remove or replace such wording or find sources which back the claims.
Bibb has appeared on major TV and radio shows including Later with Jools Holland and The Late Late Show. Bibb and his band have played at most of the world's major festivals including Glastonbury (twice) and the Cambridge Folk Festival in the UK. He joined Robert Cray on two U.S. tours in 2001 and 2002 and opened for Bonnie Raitt on a recent UK tour, and Ray Charles in the summer of 2002.
In 2005 A Ship Called Love (Telarc CD-83629) was released and Bibb went on another successful world tour, including a major 30-date US tour with John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers and Robben Ford. A Ship Called Love was nominated for Acoustic Album of the Year in the 2006 Blues Music Awards.
In 2006, Praising Peace, the Leon Bibb/Eric Bibb tribute to Paul Robeson, was released on Stony Plain Records, while in September Diamond Days was also released (Telarc CD-83660). It was produced by Glen Scott and recorded in the UK, Sweden and Canada. It includes a live recording of "In My Father's House" featuring Bibb's long-time recording and touring partner, Dave Bronze, formerly bass guitarist for Eric Clapton. This tour produced many positive reviews:
“Some days you get diamond some days nickels & dimes but if you’re lucky you may strike gold I think Bibb has hit the jackpot”. Eastern Daily Press
Bibb's talent for both performing and songwriting has been recognised with a Grammy Nomination (for "Shakin' a Tailfeather") and five W. C. Handy Award nominations (for the albums Spirit and the Blues and Home To Me; for "Kokomo" as Best Acoustic Blues Song of the Year, and twice for Best Acoustic Blues Artist of the Year). His songs have featured on TV shows such as BBC TV's EastEnders and Casualty, and The District in the USA. Bibb's version of "I Heard the Angels Singin'" was included in the feature film The Burial Society and Bibb appears on Jools Holland's double platinum-selling album Small World, Big Band, singing his own composition "All That You Are". In Australia, he has appeared several times on ABC national television on the Live At The Basement series.
“Now unquestionably a major figure in his own right” -- The Times,19 October 2006, Clive Davis
[edit] External links Official website Record label biography Illustrated Eric Bibb discography Video: In My Father's House Video: Tell Ol' Bill Interview with Paul Jones on BBC Interview in Austin Texas, with Paul Jones on BBC
