Brett Benton

Alabama-born and Southern-raised, Brett “Bad Blood” Benton recently left the city of Pensacola, FL to perform his hill country and delta style of blues around the country. Now living in in the Pacific Northwest, this 24-year-old artist has shared his soulful and southern style from Richmond, VA to Austin, TX and made it all the way up to Seattle, WA to make the same mark. Under his belt he can claim playing in a quickly-growing list of places ranging from Edgar Allen Poe’s historic neighborhood alongside Richmond’s own The Bush League, historic theaters, county fairs, restaurants, music venues, good ole fashioned house parties, front porches, cemetaries and in the deep of the woods. He also lists among his accomplishments being featured as Artist of the Month in the Pensacola-based Po10tial Magazine, being featured two months in a row in the WA Blues Society’s Bluesletter (June AND July, mailed to approx 4,000 people each), and a live interview/performance on Everett-based KSER Radio’s Saturday night program “Audio Indigo”, to name a few. Although he has shared the stage with many musicians ranging from local spoon and harmonica players all the way to the likes of Grammy-Nominated Artist Cedric Burnside and very recently for a short beer-garden set at the Winthrop Rhythm and Blues Festival, his raw style is best heard paying homage to its roots: solo, acoustic slide guitar along with “foot stompin’ and hollerin’ ” as Bad Blood himself would put it (although he often will play alongside a drummer). His love and respect for this style of blues will make you feel like you are sitting on a southern porch with him in the dead middle of the wet summer heat. Some of his biggest influences include (but are not limited to): Fred McDowell, Robert Johnson, R.L. Burnside, his grandson Cedric Burnside, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Junior Kimbrough, Skip James..and the list goes on. He has even traveled to the state of Mississippi itself to learn this particularly rhythmic, often hypnotic and intensely driving style of blues from its very source in Holly Springs. Although very recently moved from the South, he is already making headway in the Pacific Northwest blues scene, so stay tuned for his upcoming shows. Hill country and delta blues/rock/roots heard by way of stomping, slide guitar, hollering and story telling...and dancing!