There’s a reason why Ricky Skaggs pulled Eric and Leigh Gibson off the stage at the Ryman two decades ago and offered to produce their debut record. The same thing that led David Ferguson and Grammy Award winning producer and Black Keys frontman DanAuerbach to co-write and produce their 14th album “Mockingbird” (2018) and release it on his own label Easy Eye Sound alongside cultural icons such as Hank Williams Jr. and Dr. John: the Gibson Brothers are the real deal. They can pick. They can sing. And they can write a damn good country song. They’ve won about every bluegrass award you can name and released albums on almost every premier Americana label you can think of including Sugar Hill and Rounder, and, if that’s not enough, their songs have been recorded by bluegrass legends no less than Del McCoury.
"Montoya is a show-stopper...heartfelt singing and merciless guitar with a wicked icy burn. He is one of the truly gifted blues artists of his generation." – Living Blues
"One of the most prodigious and gifted electric bluesmen on the planet - a deeply soulful singer and incendiary guitarist [with] a seemingly endless penchant for invention." – AllMusic
Coco Montoya, the award-winning guitar virtuoso and soul-deep singer, says "Albert Collins taught me to ’Just play what you feel, be real about it, and enjoy yourself.’ And the old Willie Dixon adage, "Blues is truth" also perfectly describes the sering contemporary blues-rock vibe of Coco's show-stopping intensity.
Coco earned his status as a master guitarist and soul-powered vocalist through years of paying his dues as a sideman with Albert Collins and then with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, before launching his solo career in 1993. Five years of constant touring with Collins and ten years with Mayall turned him into a monster player and dynamic performer.
Shawn Mullins is known for his expertly crafted folk rock, instrumental rock, and adult alternative music. His influences range from the power-pop groups such as the Violent Femmes and the Indigo Girls to singer-songwriters like James Taylor and Kris Kristofferson. After a series of indie releases and growing buzz in the Atlanta music scene, Shawn’s critical and commercial breakthrough came when 1998 Soul’s Core shot him to fame on the strength of Grammy-nominated No. 1 hit, “Lullaby” followed by AAA/Americana No. 1 hit “Beautiful Wreck” from 2006’s 9th Ward Pickin’ Parlor. His song, “Shimmer” was used in promotion of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and was included on the Dawson’s Creek soundtrack. His co-write “All in My Head” from 2008’s Honeydew was featured in episode one of the hit TV sitcom “Scrubs.” Mullins also co-wrote the Zac Brown Band’s No. 1 country tune “Toes.”
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Hailed as “opera royalty” and “one of the leading mezzo-sopranos of her generation” (OperaWire), Grammy Award-winning J’Nai Bridges is a powerhouse of vocal artistry.
Celebrated for her mesmerizing portrayal of Nefertiti in Philip Glass’ Akhnaten at the Metropolitan Opera and as a definitive Carmen on two continents, Bridges captivates audiences with her sumptuous voice and commanding stage presence.
World renowned rock guitarist Gary Hoey's first break came in 1987 when Ozzy Osbourne liked Hoey’s tape enough to fly him to LA for an audition. Although Zakk Wylde wound up with the gig, Ozzy recommended Hoey move to LA where he was certain he would get noticed. So he did – thanks Ozzy – and it paid off. In 1992 Gary’s cover of “Hocus Pocus” rocketed into the Billboard’s Top 5 Rock Tracks.