Thursday, June 6, 2019:
Chris Thomas King. Blues Bear Hawaii is proud to present Chris Thomas King, master practitioner of traditional Delta Blues and contemporary Blues, on tour behind his new release, “Hotel Voodoo.”  Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he is the son of blues musician, Tabby Thomas, and was recognized as a prodigy musician as a child. Chris turned pro while still in his teens. His debut album was very much in a traditional blues vein, but he soon found himself on a mission to prevent the blues from becoming a museum piece, becoming the first bluesman to successfully fuse hip-hop and other genres to create a new Blues for the 21st century. King was chosen by the Coen brothers to play the role of itinerant bluesman, Tommy Johnson, alongside George Clooney in the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” King has sold over 10 million records and won numerous awards, including “Album of the Year” at both the Grammy and Country Music Awards. He took a fresh re-approach to traditional blues, even recording an album of Tommy Johnson- and Robert Johnson-inspired originals.  Chris has continued to develop his second, very active career as actor and music composer or director, which earned him a Grammy for the soundtrack of the Ray Charles biopic, “Ray,” as well as a role in the HBO series Treme. “Hotel Voodoo” is King’s first studio album in five years, proving he is at the peak of his powers as a blues rock guitar tour de force on par with legendary greats Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, and Buddy Guy. Mauiarts.org