Justin Tracy

Singer/songwriter Justin Tracy defies easy categorization. While 2005's Suffolk Sessions harked back to an older folk tradition, encompassing Bob Dylan and Nick Drake, he has also toured the European jazz circuit with the Justin Tracy Group. Born in the United Kingdom, Tracy started his musical career as a drummer and made his first professional recording at 13. In 1997, he toured Europe with the Justin Tracy Group, making appearances at the Montreaux, Nice, and North Sea jazz festivals, and sharing the stage with luminaries such as Jimmy Cliff, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Weather Report. Tracy jump-started his career when he moved in 2002 from London to New York City, where he began recording for Blue Note Records. His musical interests, however, were in flux. Tracy decided to learn guitar and began experimenting with a new approach to songwriting. The results were 2004's Understanding, an album that would take four years of careful effort to complete. "This record marks the beginning of a journey," wrote CD Baby, "and we know that once you discover his music you will want to come along for the ride." Tracy wasted little time, however, releasing his follow-up, Suffolk Sessions, on Lancer in 2005. © Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. /TiVo