Eric Charles Bibb (born August 16, 1951) is a Grammy-nominated American-born blues singer and songwriter.

Early life and education

Bibb was born in New York on August 16, 1951. His father, Leon, was a musical theatre singer, 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, and actor/singer/activist Paul Robeson, Bibb's godfather.

He was given his first steel-string acoustic guitar at the age of eight.</blockquote>

When Bibb was 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, later appeared 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. The next year, aged 19, he left for Paris,

Career

Bibb moved to Stockholm,

In 2004, Eric Bibb released Friends as his debut release under Telarc International Corporation. Bibb remained with Telarc Records from 2004 until 2011, releasing several additional albums including, A Ship Called Love in 2005, Diamond Days in 2007, and Spirit I Am in 2008. He released Booker's Guitar in January 2010 with music channeled from the Delta blues guitarist, Bukka White. In November 2011, Bibb signed to Stony Plain Records.

In 2018, Bibb opened for George Benson on his UK tour.

In March 2021, it was announced that Bibb had signed to Provogue Records. The lead single "Whole World's Got The Blues" featuring Eric Gales from his upcoming album was released on March 19, 2021, with the album Dear America expected on September 10, 2021. Two more singles followed: "Born Of A Woman" with singer Shaneeka Simon on June 10, and "Emmett's Ghost" featuring Ron Carter inspired by the lynching of Emmett Till on July 23, to coincide with what would have been Till's 80th birthday on July 25.

thumb|Eric Bibb concert at Rasbo Church, near [[Uppsala, Sweden, August 14, 2022 (during Rasbo Culture Week)]]

His 2023 album Ridin made the Top 10 of several blues and roots charts, and boosted his all-round popularity.

Awards

Bibb received Grammy Award nominations for Shakin' a Tailfeather in 1997 and Migration Blues in 2017.

He has been nominated for several Blues Music Awards (formerly known as the W.C. Handy Awards). He won the award for Acoustic Artist of the Year in 2012 and 2013. In 2017 he won the award for Acoustic Album of the Year for The Happiest Man in the World.

His 2023 album Ridin was nominated for a Grammy nomination in the Best Traditional Blues Album category. Bibb was formerly married to Sari Matinlassi. He lived in Kirkkonummi, Finland, for four years before moving back to Stockholm, Sweden.

Discography

Studio albums

  • Ain't It Grand (MNW, 1972)
  • Rainbow People (Opus 3, 1977)
  • Golden Apples of the Sun (Opus 3, 1983)
  • Me to You (Code Blue, 1997)
  • Home to Me (Ruf, 1999)
  • Roadworks (Ruf, 2000)
  • Just Like Love (Opus 3, 2000)
  • Painting Signs (Manhaton/EarthBeat!, 2001)
  • Natural Light (Manhaton, 2003)
  • A Ship Called Love (Telarc, 2005)
  • Diamond Days (Telarc, 2006)
  • 12 Gates to the City (Luna, 2006)
  • Get On Board (2008)
  • Spirit I Am (2008)
  • Booker's Guitar (Telarc, 2010)
  • Blues Ballads & Work Songs (Opus 3, 2011)
  • Deeper in the Well (Stony Plain, 2012)
  • Jericho Road (Stony Plain, 2013)
  • The Haven (Luna, 2011)
  • Blues People (Stony Plain, 2014)
  • Migration Blues (2017; nominated for a Grammy as Best Traditional Blues Album)
  • Global Griot (double album, 2018)
  • Dear America (Provogue, 2021)
  • Ridin (Repute, 2023)
  • One Mississippi (Repute, 2026)

Collaborative albums

  • Cyndee Peters & Eric Bibb: Olikalikadant (Caprice, 1978)
  • Eric Bibb & Bert Deivert: April Fools (Opus 3, 1979)
  • Eric Bibb & Bert Deivert: River Road (Opus 3, 1980)
  • Eric Bibb & Friends: Songs for Peace (Opus 3, 1982)
  • Eric Bibb & Bert Deivert: Hello Stranger (Opus 3, 1983)
  • Cyndee Peters & Eric Bibb: A Collection Of Cyndee Peters & Eric Bibb (Opus 3, 1991)
  • Eric Bibb & Needed Time: Spirit & The Blues (Opus 3, 1994)
  • Eric Bibb & Needed Time: Good Stuff (Opus 3, 1997)
  • Leon & Eric Bibb: A Family Affair (Manhaton, 2002)
  • Eric Bibb, Rory Block, & Maria Muldaur: Sisters & Brothers (Telarc, 2004)
  • Eric Bibb & Friends: Friends (Telarc, 2004)
  • Leon & Eric Bibb: Praising Peace: A Tribute to Paul Robeson (Stony Plain, 2006)
  • Habib Koité - Eric Bibb: Brothers in Bamako (Stony Plain, 2012)
  • Eric Bibb & Andrew Maxfield: Celebrating Wendell Berry in Music (2013)
  • Eric Bibb, Ale Möller & Knut Reiersrud: Blues Detour (2014)
  • Eric Bibb & JJ Milteau: Lead Belly's Gold (Dixiefrog, 2015)
  • Eric Bibb & North Country Far with Danny Thompson: The Happiest Man In The World (Dixiefrog, 2016)
  • Eric Bibb, Ale Möller, Knut Reiersrud, Aly Bain etc.: Jazz At The Berlin Philharmonic - Celtic Roots (ACT, 2016)

Live albums

  • Live at the Basement (2002)
  • An Evening with Eric Bibb (2007)
  • Live À FIP (a.k.a. Live at FIP) (Dixiefrog, 2009)
  • Troubadour Live with Staffan Astner (Telarc, 2011)

DVDs

  • Up Close With Eric Bibb (2008)
  • Live At The Basement (2010)
  • The Guitar Artistry Of Eric Bibb (2011)

Select special appearances and compilations

  • Cyndee Peters: När Morgonstjärnan Brinner (1987)
  • Linda Tillery & The Cultural Heritage Choir, Taj Mahal, & Eric Bibb: Shakin' A Tailfeather (1997)
  • Various artists: Jazz FM Presents Absolute Blues (1997)
  • Various artists: Bob Harris Presents (Volume 1) (1999)
  • Various artists: Hippity Hop (1999)
  • Various artists: All You Need Is Love (Beatles Songs For Kids) (1999)
  • Various artists: Putumayo Presents Mali To Memphis (An African-American Odyssey) (1999)
  • Various artists: Putumayo Presents World Playground (A Musical Adventure For Kids) (1999)
  • Various artists: Screamin' & Hollerin' The Blues (2000)
  • Various artists: Blue Haze (Songs Of Jimi Hendrix) (2000)
  • Jools Holland & His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra: Jools Holland's Big Band Rhythm & Blues (2001)
  • Various artists: Putumayo Kids Presents Reggae Playground (2006)
  • Eric Bibb: Eric Bibb, A Retrospective ‒ with new studio track, "Trust the Dawn", and live track, "Saucer & Cup" (2006)
  • Big Daddy Wilson: Love Is the Key (2009)

References

  • Official website
  • Artist Biography by Richard Skelly - All Music Portal