JAREKUS SINGLETON'S REFUSE TO LOSE DEBUTS AT #7 ON THE BILLBOARD BLUES CHART

Clinton, Mississippi-based blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Jarekus Singleton's Alligator Records CD, Refuse To Lose, debuted at #7 on the Billboard Blues Chart and #99 on the imprint's New Artist Chart. The full album, which was released on May 6, premiered at USA Today along with an interview, on April 29. The first single, I Refuse To Lose, was selected as the Gotta Hear Song Of The Week by Philadelphia's powerhouse radio station, WXPN. The station also added the song to its regular rotation.

Feature stories have already run in DownBeat, Living Blues, and Blues Music Magazine. The Washington Post's Sunday Style section will feature Singleton (and labelmate and fellow young guitar slinger Selwyn Birchwood) in a story on the next generation of blues players. Later this summer Singleton will appear on NPR's World Cafe, SiriusXM's Bluesville (live in-studio session) and be featured on Elwood's Bluesmobile.

At just 29 years old, Singleton is a musical trailblazer with a bold vision for the future of the blues. Springing from the same Mississippi soil as Charley Patton, Muddy Waters and B.B. King, Singleton's cutting-edge sound -- equally rooted in rap, rock and blues traditions -- is all his own. He melds hip-hop wordplay, rock energy and R&B grooves with contemporary and traditional blues, turning audiences of all ages into devoted fans. With his untamed guitar licks and strong, soulful voice effortlessly moving from ferocious and funky to slow and steamy to smoking hot, Singleton is a fresh, electrifying bluesman bursting at the seams with talent.

Refuse To Lose features a scintillating guitar attack and lyrically startling original songs, all sung with a natural storyteller's voice. Produced by Singleton along with Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer, the album is an impossible-to-ignore first step onto the world stage. With songs telling real life, streetwise stories brimming with surprising images, pop culture references, infectious rhythms and unexpected musical twists, Refuse To Lose unleashes a new wave of blues for a new generation of fans.