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Chris Beard - Discography
Chris Beard
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Early on, Chris Beard learned one essential detail about the music he plays: play it live.
Since he first stepped on stage, Chris creates musical art unique to that moment in time.
True to all artistic creations, Beard's art is powerful enough to share his intense emotion release with audiences or listeners who takes the time to hear what Chris plays.
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Within the opening bars of the first live cut, Born To Play The Blues, obvious Chris Beard is doing what he was meant to do with his life.
Born in 1957, Beard is the son of Joe Beard, a fine blues guitarist who grew up on Beale Street in the 1950's before moving to Rochester, NY.
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When family friends like Matt Guitar' Murphy and Buddy Guy stopped by, young Chris became their willing pupil.
Blues is my roots,' says Chris.
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That earned him his first guitar and the first of many lessons from his father, If you can do it with your mouth, you can do it with your guitar.' By 15, Chris was playing regularly with his father's band and local R&B outfits.
After years playing the clubs in and around Rochester, Chris was offered the opportunity to record.
In 1998, he released his debut recording, Barwalkin', on JSP Records.
That record earned Beard a W.C. Handy nomination as Best New Blues Artist.
Chris produced his follow-up disc, Born To Play The Blues in 2001 to the critical acclaim of the blues press and earned Beard the title, Prince of the Blues.
Now, in 2004, Beard is looking to take his blues beyond the blues he was given by his father in his living room.
This stirring combination of live and studio performances is just what Beard needs to take his career to the next phase.
It's one thing to do a studio record where you can do it over and over until you get it perfect, says Chris.
These live songs are just like being there.
People who see me always like what they've just seen.
There is so much more feeling and spontaneity in a high energy, live CD.
In fact, when I first recorded that show, we were riding home in the van listening to it and I was amazing myself.
Beard has captured the cream of his performances.
If the mark of the best live recordings is that they make the listener wish to have been present, then every time you listen to this disc, you'll be wishing to be in the house during this red hot set.
From the opening, raucous Born To Play The Blues, Beard'high flyin', horn driven music features a lot to savor.
Though Beard is a world class guitarist, this is not another guitar only effort.
Musically, Beard uses the full range of talent in his band.
Especially the tenor work of Quinn Lawrence, Beard's 24 year old musical twin.
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Because Quinn and Beard have played together since 2000 and know each other so well, they can riff without even thinking.
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Through it all, Chris Beard has only one goal, to follow the will of the music in expressing himself and his feelings.
It all stems from the music, the beat, the groove.
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This was a defining moment in the musical life of Chris Beard.
During the fiery, four minute guitar solo that opens Lucky Peterson's Tribute To Luther Allison,' Beard expresses all Luther meant to him.
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Chris Beard is a modern blues guitarist and singer like few others.
His personal connections to the blues were forged with the living blues men he's sat with since childhood.
Coupled that with his clear focus to deliver and he, like other genetic blues kids, is a primed to make his own compelling statement.
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Chris wrote all but twp of the two ten cuts.
Good for him, too, for using his own regular group of musicians.
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Chris is the author of all the music on his first CD on JSP, and his locomotive is workin' and due to reach all the big terminals very soon Albert King's influence is especially evident on "I had A Dream", "Baby I Need It All", "Caught Up". and "All Night Long"-this last suggestive of "I'll Play The Blues For You."
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