Guitarist Tab Benoit will perform at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall Saturday, April 13, as part of his “Whiskey Bayou Revue” Tour.
Benoit is a three-time GRAMMY-nominated musician and five-time "Contemporary Male" Blues Music Award Winner.
Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1967, he grew up in the nearby oil and fishing town of Houma, where he still resides today. Musically, he was exposed early on to traditional Cajun waltzes and the country music broadcast on his hometown's only radio station.
In the late 80s, Benoit began hanging out at the Blues Box, a music club and cultural center in Baton Rouge run by guitarist Tabby Thomas. Playing guitar alongside Thomas, Raful Neal, Henry Gray and other high-profile regulars at the club, Benoit learned the blues firsthand from these living blues legends. He formed a trio in 1987 and began playing clubs in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
In 1992, Benoit released his first recording “Nice and Warm” on the Justice Label. The title track became a AAA Radio hit and Benoit’s touring career kicked into high gear. Benoit began playing 250 shows a year, a schedule he has kept up for over 20 years. He recorded four albums for Justice Records before being signed to the Vanguard label, and became Louisiana’s No. 1 blues export. Vanguard allowed Benoit to produce his own recordings; Benoit wanted to record the sound that he was trying to create and in 1999 Vanguard Records released “These Blues Are All Mine.”
Benoit’s music evolved again after he signed with the Telarc International/Concord Music Group in 2002. He began to strip it down to a three-piece group, where he found more freedom as a guitarist. He was also on a mission in wanting to use his music and his energy to bring attention to Louisiana's coastal erosion issues. Benoit began to spend more time in the Wetlands and it was where he began to write his songs. “Wetlands” was the title of his first Telarc/Concord International release. The record combined many musical styles that are indigenous to Louisiana, while he began to play accordion lines and washboard on guitar. Following the release of “Wetlands” in 2004, Benoit founded the Voice of the Wetlands no-profit organization (www.voiceofthewetlands.org) and began to use music and gather other musicians to use their platforms for getting the message out. He put together a band that featured Cyril Neville, Anders Osborne, George Porter Jr, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Johnny Vidacovich, Johnny Sansone and Waylon Thibodeaux that became The Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars. The Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars have released two CDs and occasionally tour throughout the country.
Benoit recently launched his own imprint, Whiskey Bayou Records, with partner and manager, Rueben Williams. The label has thus far released albums by such established artists as Eric McFadden, Damon Fowler, Eric Johanson, Jeff McCarty and Dash Rip Rock.
Benoit’s show at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall starts at 8 p.m. Tickets range between $36.50-$53.00. Visit https://www.pvconcerthall.com for more information.
