17 Sep Telluride Blues & Brews Festival: Jackie Greene
[click “Play” to listen to Jackie Greene on his music]
[double click to view in larger format]
this weekend, September 18 – 20: Joe Cocker, Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal to name drop three. Then there’s the skinny, soft-spoken man-boy who bears an uncanny resemblance to another icon, who, on more than one occasion has also performed in Telluride. But at this point in Jackie Greene’s meteoric career, any allusion to Bob Dylan is so much horse exhaust.
Although the rising young star – Greene is only 27 – admits to being a fan, his early influences include bluesman Ray Charles, whose records he discovered in the basement of his childhood home. By high school, Jackie Greene was a blues, country and old rock freak, who had worked his way backward from Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones to Muddy Waters and Hank Williams, Sr. Other influences include Tom Waitts, Jeff Tweedy, Merle Haggard, The Replacements and The Pixies, a mixed bag and it shows.
Jackie Greene is a musical chameleon, whose sound flashes all the colors of the rainbow. Although each of his records makes a different statement – variety is the singer/songwriter’s best defense against boredom – there is a common thread: authenticity. Jackie Greene won’t put out a tune unless it feels honest.
Jackie Green’s latest release, “Giving Up The Ghost,” is about transformation. Honest.
To learn more about Jackie Greene’s life and work and his upcoming Telluride appearance, click the “play” button and listen to his podcast.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.