Eric Bibb

About

Eric Bibb (born 16 August 1951) is an American-born acoustic blues singer-songwriter. He moved to Europe in 1970 and currently resides in Helsinki, Finland, together with his Finnish wife and tour manager Sari Matinlassi-Bibb. Bibb's father, Leon, was a musical theatre singer, who made a name for himself as part of the 1960s New York folk scene; his uncle was the jazz pianist and composer John Lewis, of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Family friends included Pete Seeger, and actor/singer/activist Paul Robeson, Bibb's godfather. He was given his first steel-string acoustic guitar aged seven. Growing up surrounded by talent, he recalls a childhood conversation with Bob Dylan, who, on the subject of guitar playing, advised the 11-year-old Bibb to "Keep it simple, forget all that fancy stuff" (as recounted in "The Transatlantic Sessions 5" program and DVD from the BBC). Bibb remembers from his early teen years: I would cut school and claim I was sick. When everyone would leave the house I would whip out all the records and do my own personal DJ thing all day long, playing Odetta, Joan Baez, the New Lost City Ramblers, Josh White. At 16 years old, his father invited him to play guitar in the h…