Chris Beard

Biography

Chris Beard (born August 29, 1957) is an American electric blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He has released six albums as of 2023, the first of which was nominated for a Blues Music Award. He is dubbed the 'Prince of the Blues'.

Life and career

Beard was born in Rochester, New York, United States, the son of Joe Beard, a local blues musician. Inspired by Buddy Guy and Matt Murphy, Beard quickly graduated from learning to play the guitar to performing with a local rhythm and blues group by his mid-teens. He played alongside his father before forming his own group after his graduation. Beard played in the blues clubs around his home state for almost twenty years.
Beard's debut album was Barwalkin'×Barwalkin'24 June 1997 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1You Ain't All That3:312Barwalkin'4:013Everything Man4:044I'm Your Man3:475All Night Long6:166Caught Up4:127I Had a Dream5:538Get Yo Self a Life4:459Delivery Man6:5010It's About Time3:4111Playing the Blues for a Living3:3112Baby, I Need It All5:33, issued by JSP in June 1997. Produced by Johnny Rawls, it garnered Beard a nomination for a Blues Music Award for 'Best New Blues Artist'. In 1999, Blues Beat magazine gave Beard the Muddy Waters Award as the 'New Talent of the Year'. A further album, Born to Play the Blues×Born to Play the Blues10 April 2001 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Ten Toes Up3:062High Cost of Living3:513Silver Spoon5:354Somebody's Sleeping8:385The Girl Is Ready3:316I Still Love You3:577Party Tonight3:188You're the One5:229It's Over6:3510Born to Play the Blues3:19, followed in April 2001, and then Live Wire×Live Wire17 May 2005 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Born to Play Blues9:032Ten Toes Up4:253It's About Time6:444Tribute to Luther Allison, Part 16:285Tribute to Luther Allison, Part 22:276Caught Up5:397It's Over, Part 18:248It's Over, Part 24:219It's Over, Part 32:1410Street of Broken Dreams3:4811Never Felt No Blues5:1612A Change Must Come5:0113Can't Walk Away3:5114Lock My Dreams3:3015Who Can You Trust2:42 (2005). Referring to the latter, the AllMusic journalist, Chris Nickson, stated "Beard cements his stature with this record, and sets himself up to take a place among the contemporary blues guitar greats.
Beard has appeared at the Boundary Waters Blues Festival.
In August 2010, Beard released Who I Am and What I Do on Electro Glide Records. The album contained three tracks Beard co-wrote with Ronnie Baker Brooks.