Guitarist, singer and songwriter
Chris Beard is the son of Rochester-area blues guitarist
Joe Beard. He has been patiently paying his dues on the club circuit around the Northeast for the last 20 years.
Beard, who goes by the nickname "Prince of the Blues," is one of the young lions of blues in the 1990s. He can be safely grouped with other idiom-expanding artists like
Larry Garner,
Tutu Jones and
Michael Hill.
Beard began playing guitar at age five, inspired by all the blues talent his father had over to the house -- artists like
Buddy Guy and
Matt "Guitar" Murphy. He learned to play "Green Onions" as a 6-year-old, and at 15 he began playing with a local classic rhythm & blues ensemble. He continued playing in local bands and sitting in with his father's band through high school. After graduation, he began fronting his own group and writing his own songs, taking inspiration from people like
Albert King and
Johnny "Guitar" Watson.
Beard's debut album,
Barwalkin', for the London-based JSP Records, is a 12-track showcase of style and songwriting virtuosity. Produced by
Johnny Rawls, who also plays guitar on the recording,
Beard is accompanied by Hammond B-3 organist
Brian Charette, former
Johnny Copeland Band bassist Randy Lippincott, and drummer Barry Harrison. The Nutmeg Horns, consisting of Bruce and Robert Feiner on saxophones and
Jim Hunt on trumpet, add body to some songs. ~ Richard Skelly