Alligator Records Signs Tommy Castro!

ALLIGATOR RECORDS PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release – January 15, 2009
Contact: Marc Lipkin / 773-973-7736 x235
Email: publicity@allig.com

 

Alligator Records is proud to announce the signing of blues/rock guitarist and vocalist Tommy Castro. Winner of the 2008 Blues Music Award for B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year, Castro is known not only for his scorching musicianship, but also for his gritty vocals and soul-drenched songwriting. He is recognized as one of the absolute best players, singers and live performers around. Guitar Player called Castro “the hardest working bluesman on the scene today. He has a vibe somewhere between Booker T. & The MG’s and The Rolling Stones.”Playboy declared, “Castro throws rock and two bits of soul in his blues. He has the voice, the band and the guitar to pull it off.” Castro will record his Alligator debut this month, with John Porter (B.B. King, Elvis Costello, Buddy Guy, Keb’ Mo’, The Smiths, Otis Rush, Billy Bragg, Roxy Music) producing. 

Joining Alligator is a high point in Castro’s career. “I feel that in signing with Alligator I'm making a major step forward. I'm excited about the new release and grateful for the opportunity to record for a label with such a rich history in blues and American roots music.”

Iglauer is equally thrilled to have Castro in the Alligator fold, “Tommy Castro has earned his huge and devoted fan following the old-fashioned way—by delivering thousands of totally knockout live performances, coast to coast. His music rides the fine line between blues and Memphis soul, and his energy level is unbelievable. He’s certainly a guitar hero, but even more than that, Tommy is simply a great singer, very soulful and very intense.”

Born in San Jose, California in 1955, Castro first picked up a guitar at age 10. He came under the spell of Eric Clapton, Elvin Bishop, Michael Bloomfield and other blues rock players early on. As he got older, Castro moved forward by investigating the past, falling in love with the blues guitar work of Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Freddie King, Buddy Guy, Elmore James and singers like Ray Charles and James Brown. By his late teens he was playing in a variety of San Francisco-area bands.

Castro joined Warner Brothers act The Dynatones in the late 1980s, where he honed his chops on the road for two years, performing live around the world and backing major artists like Carla Thomas and Albert King. He formed his own band in 1991 and won the Bay Area Music Award for Best Club Band in both 1993 and 1994. He released his debut album, Exception To The Rule, on Blind Pig in 1996. The album won the 1997 Bay Area Music Award for Outstanding Blues Album, and Castro also took the award for Outstanding Blues Musician that same year.

In the mid-1990s The Tommy Castro Band served as the house band for three seasons on NBC Television’s Comedy Showcase (airing right after Saturday Night Live), bringing him in front of millions of viewers every week. During the 1990s and into the 2000s, Castro released a series of critically acclaimed CDs for Blind Pig, Telarc and 33rd Street Records as well as one on his own Heart And Soul label. In 2001 and 2002 the legendary B.B. King asked Castro to open his summer concert tours. Playing over 80 concerts, Castro often found himself sitting with King to close out the show. As a further tribute to his talent, on October 16, 2006 San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom declared “Tommy Castro Day” throughout the city. 

Castro’s most recent releases, 2007’s Painkiller (Blind Pig) and 2008’sCommand Performance: Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue (Delta Groove) featuring appearances by Marcia Ball, Elvin Bishop, Magic Dick, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Curtis Salgado and Deanna Bogart, further heightened Castro’s profile at press and radio, and his fan base continued to grow. Painkiller won the 2008 Blues Music Award for Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year. 

Publications across the country, from The Washington Post to The San Francisco Examiner, sang his praises. Billboard called him “a major blues player.” Carlos Santana, with whom Castro has also recorded and performed, said, “Tommy Castro has the voice and the sound to touch everybody’s heart.” With his upcoming Alligator debut and plenty of high-energy tour dates to follow, Castro is ready to write the next chapter of his already illustrious career.

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