Matt Walsh is a 30 year old blues vocalist / guitarist / songwritter from North Carolina, who is currently based in Wichita KS. His primary sound is rooted in the old school southside Chicago Blues style of the 1950's with musical detours that venture into Rockabilly, Jump Blues, and 50's Rock genres as well.
Influenced by Bluesmen like Robert Nighthawk, Howlin' Wolf, T-Bone Walker, Willie Johnson, Muddy Waters, Robert Lockwood Jr., Eddie Taylor, Elmore James and Johnny Guitar Watson, Matt has dedicated himself to playing the blues. His wailing, singing, raw distorted guitar tone, coupled with his soulful vocals have stunned music critics and fans everywhere, who all agree that his stripped down Blues approach is authentic and real.
In 2006, Matt was interviewed by Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin in the high reguarded US publication, Blues Revue magazine, which provided an insightful article that further confirmed Matt's talents. From 1973-1980, Bob Margolin played guitar in Chicago Blues legend, Muddy Waters' band, touring worldwide and recording, and learning to play Muddy's powerful music directly from him.
Matt's newest album 'Hard Luck' (Raw Tone Records) features 12 original songs and has earned high praise and favorable reviews from respectable and high-profile Blues sources and publications. The sophmore follow-up to his previous album 'Goin' Back South', was produced by and features' Bob Margolin, who continues to bring a great deal of attention to Walsh.
In the past few months, 'Hard Luck' has been played on on over 360 Blues radio programs across the United States and abroad. It has sustained a position on many of these stations as well. One Blues disc jockey even went so far as to call 'Hard Luck' the best Blues album to date of 2007.
In July 2007, 'Hard Luck' was added to Blues Deluxe which syndicates to 100 plus radio stations along side Blues legends like Muddy Waters, James Cotton, and Johnny Winter. The title track from Matt's new album is also featured along with two other tracks, on Bill Wax's Bluesville on XM radio ch. 74 as "Picks to Click".
With a career that is still young, Matt Walsh has so far shared the stage and/or opened up for national blues acts and legends like Buddy Guy, Bob Margolin, Taj Mahal, Little Ed and the Blues Imperials, Kelly Hunt, Kenny Neal, Homer Henderson and Delbert McClinton.
Quotes :
" Matt Walsh...Soulful playing, great vocals...It's great to hear young musicians playing in the tradition. That's the only way the Blues will stay alive "
- Paul Oscher ( Blues harmonica master and former harmonica player for Muddy Waters band talking about Matt 1st CD 'Goin' Back South' )
"They love Old School Chicago Blues and have both already gone a long way towards playing it with authentic tone and command of the guitar language. Both of them can sing it too, and improve every time I hear them. They are young today and will keep this style alive on bandstands and preserve it as and preserve it as more than history. They may develop so much themselves that they carry the style forward with their own contributions."
- Bob Margolin ( former guitarist for Muddy Waters band, writer and columnist for Blues Revue magazine. Excerpt from Blues Revue Aug/Sept 2006 on Matt Walsh and Matt Hill )
"If this guy rode a time machine back to the early 1950s, he could probably line up a gig as a house songwriter at Chess Records."
- Blues Bytes
"Walsh's fierce, slashing slide on "Why My Baby Ain't Around" is reminiscent of classic Waters tunes "She Moves Me" and "Screamin' and Cryin", and his declamatory vocals, though far dryer and not as dark as Muddy's, posses the master's knowing, virile aloofness."
- Blues Revue
"To hear an artist that will keep you guessing what is coming next and please you each time, take a listen to Matt Walsh."
- Blueswax
"Anyway with a voice like his, what need has Walsh of studio trickery, this is a force of nature best left alone."
- Blues Matters
"This young person has already proved a lot in the contemporary Blues culture and Matt Walsh’s original songs are of a very high level, certain open doors for the future."
- Rootstime
"Other than listening to the 3 or 4 slide guitar players who I consider to be the cream of the crop, I generally prefer to not even here it played. Hearing MATT on "WHY MY BABY AIN'T AROUND" just increased my favorite slide players to a complete handful...MATT WALSH may just get himself a "Best New Artist Debut" nod."
- Mary4Music Peter "the Bluzzman" Lauro
