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Ty Curtis has a Blues mojo that is alive and kicking, a natural musical treat for all that stand before his stage. His offerings have a throwback Rock and Roll flair with an undeniable southern-fried ambiance. Blended, it all adds up to the authenticity of his Blues Rock Style. His explosion of emotion-power-packed performances captures the undivided attention of audiences with tantalizing guitar fret work and highly intellectual lyrics. Add to the mix his exceptional vocals, and in Ty Curtis, you’ve found a classy performer that has ignited an exciting Blues career and a major Blues star in the making.“Ty Curtis is a triple threat, since he is the band’s lead singer, as well as the primary composer of their material, and thirdly he’s a sonically incendiary, string-shredding electric guitar player” (Blues Rock Review). Ty has been winning awards for his vocals and musicianship for the last 10 years. In 2009 his raw soulful version of 5 Long Years by Eddie Boyd captivated the audience and earned the band 2nd place in The International Blues Challenge and lead to performances at The Montreal Jazz Festival in Canada and the St John Blues Festival USVI.
His first live music experience was Silverchair at the LB Day Amphitheater in Salem Oregon where Curtis grew up. “It was their performance and musicianship that made me want to play guitar and sing” he recalls “I wanted to rock out like them” and with that inspiration ingrained, Ty asked his parents for a guitar which he never let go of. “It was this kid’s Toy Western guitar that my parents found at a garage sale, the strings were way off the fretboard” he laughs “I played that thing until my fingers bled” From the age of sixteen, Ty started showing up at local clubs and playing at any blues jam he could find. It wasn’t long before he was winning over admirers and attracting a large fan base in the Northwest. With each subsequent album release Ty’s reputation continued to grow establishing him as one of the torch bearers in a new generation of Blues. The band competed in the Journey to Memphis in Portland through the Cascade Blues Association and won giving him the chance to perform on the National stage. It was there in Memphis that Ty met David Z which led to him producing the third album ‘Cross That Line’.
After a move to Austin Texas Ty decided to pursue a musical relationship with Steve Miller Band’s guitarist Jacob Petersen. That pairing led to album releases “Ty Curtis” and “Water Under The Bridge” where both albums received high praise and rave reviews. “His ability to think outside the box, and blend his influences from other genres of music fit perfectly amongst the assortment of true blues rock style. Ty redefines intelligent songwriting stepping away from the rigid forms of technicalities, song structure, and instrumentation used by the majority of blues rock artists”. Bluesrockreview.com
With 5 albums under his belt Curtis decided to co produce his 6th album ‘Blame Me’ with the help of Austin producer and bassist Nick Jay (Ed Kowalzick, Alpha Rev & SXSW engineer). Packed with soul,blues and ripping guitar riffs, Ty’s latest effort features some of the most heart-felt emotion tugging vocals to come out in several years reminiscent of Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers.’Back Again’ shows of Ty’s killer guitar work and he shifts gears on a slower more soulful ‘I Can Say,’ but still has those electric guitar moments interspersed at times occurring like exclamation points at key moments in the song.
The album received some of the best reviews of his career and was selected as #9 Top Blues Rock Albums of 2016 by Bluesrockreview.com placing with such names as Joe Bonamassa, Jeff Beck and Devon Allman. Ty’s musicianship and voice at his live shows are electrifying, draw from the rich blues tradition and leave audiences stunned. “Finding an artist that is an originator like Ty has always been a rare thing” – David Z (Prince, Johnny Lang) and he is proving to be an artist that will be around for generations to come.
