+ Oli Brown +The Harpbreakers

British blues singer and guitarist Ian Siegal has been an active contributor to the UK blues scene for many years. His style reflects on the more rootsy side of the genre, drawing on influences such as Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Bo Diddly, Junior Kimbrough and Tom Waits.

It has been said that had Siegal been around in the sixties he would today be accorded the same reverence as artists such as Van Morrison, Joe Cocker and Eric Clapton. Big Bill Morganfield (son of Muddy Waters) was quoted as saying (with reference to Ian Siegal) “You should be very proud to have this young man in your own country. You have someone right here who can really sing the deep blues. He got church in his voice. If my daddy were alive today he’d say “That’s my boy!”

His debut album Picture Postcards is proof of his gifted songwriting ability. His 2005 album Meat & Potatoes has been universally praised and was awarded the maximum four star rating in the Penguin Book of Blues Recordings, Ian is one of only two living British Blues artists to gain this distinction.

Swagger, Siegal’s 2007 release also received universal praise and was ranked number two Blues album of 2007 by MOJO magazine. In a response to fans requesting an acoustic album, Siegal released The Dust in 2008 – which is a collection of both new and old favourite songs. The album also made it to the number two position of the 2008 MOJO magazine Blue’s album chart.

His latest album, Broadside, sees Ian in an expansive mood, combining blues with other genres, creating a multi-faceted collection of tracks culminating in what could probably be his most exciting and influential work to date.

Ian Siegal will be performing live at Manchester Academy 3 on Friday 12th March.