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With all the makings of an American
music icon, Tab Benoit has become one of the premiere roots
stylist of the century. Tab has paid his dues as a road
troubadour playing 250 nights a year performing at venues
across North America, honing his guitar chops and becoming
part of Louisiana folklore and legend.
Way down in the heart of steamy
South Louisiana there's a run-down shotgun-style, brick
building where magic is known to happen on any given night.
Many of the town's people don't venture into the area, but
those who do, order from a hand written menu containing
such misspelled delicacies as "hot sawsage poboys"
and "fried swimps",. After a good, greasy meal,
they are treated to the most authentic blues around. It's
here at Tabby's Blues Box and Heritage Hall in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana where Tab Benoit played to gain acceptance among
the true blues fans and players of the down and dirty genre,
while earning the customary thirteen dollars a night. "
We weren't allowed to bring in our own equipment",
Tab recalls. "We always just made do with what was
there... that's the Blues Box way." Tab Benoit has
fond memories of the leaky roof, the outdated PA system
(a 1970's bass amplifier), and the appreciative crowd; a
mixture of LSU students and neighborhood regulars. But mostly,
he remembers a piece of advice from Tabby Thomas, the club's
proprietor, who told him, "If you play the blues, you'll
always have a job."
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Tab Benoit has taken Tabby's advice to heart, maintaining
his blues roots while hitting the road--hard. For the past
several years he's been performing his own brand of cajun
rock 'n blues, night after night, while watching the size
of his audience steadily increase. This grueling tour schedule
has paid off, as he now plays for standing room only crowds
across the country, from major music cities to small town
blues bars.
Born in Baton Rouge in November 1967 and raised in the
oil and fishing town of Houma, Louisiana (where he lives
to this day), Tab Benoit barely remembers learning to play
guitar. "I had a book that showed you how to play chords",
he said. "After I learned the first three, I got rid
of the book."
Since that time, the music has seemed to come naturally
to him. He began playing gigs around town -- weddings, local
Cajun festivals, and rock and roll shows – anything
to make a living and get the chance to play music. For Tab
Benoit there was a natural progression from rock 'n roll
to the 70's to the Cajun rock 'n blues he now plays since
all of these genres are firmly rooted in the blues.
Tab Benoit soon ventured off to New Orleans and met Barbara
Becker, commonly known as B.B., and then manager of the
Legendary Dr. John. She remembers the days when she would
go see Tab Benoit and be the only person in the audience.
When Justice Records president called her for a recommendation
for an upcoming project, they set up a meeting at a local
bowling alley (the now-famous Mid City Lanes - Rock 'n Bowl).
Tab Benoit was playing there in a blues jam contest. Even
though Benoit came in third, it was his blues that got signed
to participate on Justice's "Strike a Deep Chord: Blues
Guitars for the Homeless". Everyone was so impressed
with Benoit’s contribution, a heartfelt blues number
called "Nice and Warm", that they signed him to
a multi album deal.
Tab Benoit also struck a deep chord in the television industry,
getting several songs placed in prime time shows including
Northern Exposure, Melrose Place, and Party of Five. Even
the most watched show in the world, Baywatch, chose Tab
Benoit to perform (this time on camera) on the premier episode
of the spin-off series, Baywatch Nights. Other artists featured
on the show include Buddy Guy, B. B. King and Robert Cray.
A long-time wetlands activist, in 2006, Tab Benoit was
also honored to appear as one of the stars of “Hurricane
on the Bayou,” the Audubon Nature Institute’s
first-ever IMAX film, narrated by Academy Award-winning
actress Meryl Streep. The film also stars legendary New
Orleans music producer, songwriter, and Rock n’ Roll
Hall of Fame inductee, Allen Toussaint and Marva Wright,
the “Queen of Gospel.”
Even though Tab Benoit has been compared to some of the
greatest blues men and guitarists of all time, he doesn't
aspire to be the "next" anybody. But there's one
thing he does know ...he'll always have a job. That's the
Blues Box way. |
