Kevin Burt To Release New Album ‘Thank you, Brother Bill: A Tribute To Bill Withers’
Gulf Coast Records announces a January 5, 2024, release date for Thank You, Brother Bill: A Tribute to Bill Withers from soulful singer/guitarist/songwriter Kevin Burt and his band, Big Medicine, with CD pre-order availability today. This is Burt’s second album for Gulf Coast Records, which released his Stone Crazy CD in October, 2020.
Thank You, Brother Bill: A Tribute to Bill Withers was recorded at The Sound Box Recording Studio, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, by engineers Richard Shultz and Jon Limmer, with assistant engineers Daren Barker, Antonio Chalmers and Isaiah Holtz. The mixing and mastering was done by David Ferrell at Dockside Studios in New Orleans.
“Kevin Burt has been a force for years and is finally getting the International recognition he so deeply deserves,” says Gulf Coast Records founder Mike Zito. “His voice is commanding and soulful and his songs are honest and from the heart. On his new album, Kevin resonates his soul with the music of Bill Withers. They have a connection deeper than their voices. This album is a must for all Bill Withers fans and will bring Kevin Burt to the masses.”
“Listening to Bill Withers tell a story or sing a song for me is one and the same,” adds Kevin Burt. “It instantly attaches itself to my soul. Mr. Withers told me in a roughly two-hour conversation we had many things that (pardon the pun) lean on today. One of those nuggets of insight was to ‘tell the stories that make me feel most vulnerable, that’s what people connect with.’ His story relates to my story. His songs relate to different points in time in my life like no other as an artist. I hope to someday have an impact on someone else’s world the way Mr. Withers has had an impact on mine. I hope that you enjoy the stories/songs as much as I have over the years. These are some of my favorites, not just because of the words or the story, but because of their attachment to my own personal story, I hope that I did the songs justice. Big love, Brother Bill Withers, and big love to you all.”
Watch Kevin Burt & Dawn Tyler Watson (Video by Laura Carbone)
Pre-order the album HERE
For nearly 30 years, Kevin Burt has been electrifying audiences throughout the Midwest, dispelling the myth that true blues has no roots in Iowa. His soul-inspired presentation is unique, which consistently gets him compared to a range of artists like Bill Withers and Aaron Neville, with the ability to build an audience rapport that has been compared to B.B. King.
Kevin is a self-taught musician (vocals, harmonica, and guitar) whose smooth, warm vocal presentation sets a mood of relaxed exhilaration, with a welcome mixture of serious music and infectious humor that audiences of all ages seem to enjoy. His voice and presence are powerful. His unique delivery ranges from the sweetest, fullest, juiciest come-on to the most playful growl. Most people have been introduced to him as a one-of-a-kind solo performer; however, he is a remarkable entertainer and frontman with his band, Kevin Burt & Big Medicine, with featured guitarist Ken Valdez, who is, himself, a masterful and revered musician in the Minneapolis music scene. The rhythm section of Eric Douglas (drums) and the incomparable Scot Sutherland (bass) provide a solid foundation for a soulful, funky, blues experience. When you have the Blues, Kevin Burt and Big Medicine might not cure you, but they will make you feel better!
Over the years, Kevin Burt has won numerous awards and played many festivals, both solo and with his band. Competing with 235 bands & solo/duo acts from around the world, he absolutely crushed it at the Blues Foundation’s 34th International Blues Challenge (IBC) in 2018, taking home top honors in three categories: first place in the Solo/Duo category; the Cigar Box Guitar Award recognizing him as the best guitar player in the Solo/Duo category; and the Lee Oskar Award for Best Harmonica Player. In 2019, Kevin was nominated for a Blues Music Award for his debut album, Heartland and Soul (Best Emerging Artist Album) and was inducted into the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame.
Photo: Delaney Burt
In 2020, his Gulf Coast Records debut recording, Stone Crazy, was nominated in four categories for The Independent Blues Awards: Best Soul/Blues Album, Song (“Stone Crazy”) and Vocalist, as well as a nomination for Gateway Artist of the Year. He was also nominated for Best Soul/Blues album for the Blues Blast Awards, as well as the Artist on the Rise Award. Additionally, he was awarded in 2021 the Bobby Rush Lifetime Achievement in Entertainment by the Jus’ Blues Foundation. That year he was also nominated for Acoustic Artist of the Year at the Blues Music Awards.
During his career, Kevin Burt has performed across the country and internationally at many of the most-storied music venues, as well as such major festivals and events as The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, The Heritage Blues Festival, The Waterfront Blues Festival, Telluride Music Festival, Magic City Blues Festival, The Chicago Blues Festival, The Bayfront Blues Festival, Chenango Blues Festival, the Big Blues Bender, The Legendary Blues Cruise, The Ultimate Blues Cruise, The International Blues Cruise- Marseille, France, Jazz Aspen Snowmass, Victoria Jazz and Blues Festival-Canada, the Huuhkajavori Blues Festival-Finland Duvelblues- Belgium and Grolsch Blues Festival-Germany.
Kevin Burt Album Credits
Kevin Burt – Guitar, Harmonica, Lead Vocals
Scot Sutherland – Bass
Ken Valdez – Lead/Rhythm Guitar, Background Vocals
Eric Douglas – Drums/Percussion
Track Listing
Who is He (and What is He to You)?
Kissing My Love
World Keeps Going Round and Round
Just the Two of Us
I’m Her Daddy
Ain’t No Sunshine
Lean On Me
Let Us Love
Another Day To Run
Grandma’s Hands
The Same Love That Made Me Laugh
Hope She’ll Be Happier
Thank You Brother Bill – written by Kevin Burt
Kevin Burt website
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