Brand new is not a term often associated with the blues, a genre steeped in tradition and rooted in form, but the talent and energy of Jarekus Singleton is challenging that conception. Combining the triple threat of guitar playing, songwriting and singing, Jarekus brings it all to the table as a guy “who writes like a rapper while playing and singing like a high-energy bluesman.” Born in Clinton, Mississippi, in 1984, his musical upbringing began in the church with gospel music, then took a turn to rap before discovering blues as a teenager. When a promising basketball career (he was the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ National Player of the Year in 2007) ended due to an injury, Jarekus turned his attention back toward music. Soon he began mixing his varied influences to build the sound that’s creating a national buzz today. Now, as a recently signed artist on Alligator Records, the acclaimed Chicago blues label, Singleton takes his singular vision of melded music to higher levels with his latest recording Refuse to Lose.
Jarekus Singleton Band
Monday, Oct. 13, 8pm
The Alamo
Illinois Central Blues Club
Blue Monday
This article appears in Oct 9-15, 2014.
