“I grew up on country and western music with my grandfather, and Southern rock and blues with my father, but the discovery I made on my own was soul music.”
– Marcus King
Sing sweet, but put a little dirt in it, as Duke Ellington once said. For South Carolina-born, Nashville-based axman Marcus King, that special mix of heart and soil comes naturally. For 22 of his 25 years on this planet, the fourth-generation player has been a sponge for six-string tradition and technique, plucking old Gibsons, gigging alongside his dad since age 11, and ultimately leading his own southern rock band with 3 acclaimed albums. Armed with stellar guitar chops, a raspy falsetto, and old-soul songwriting grit, Marcus draws comparisons to Hendrix, Allman, Vaughan and Clapton – and recently earned his own Signature Gibson ES-345 from the legendary guitar company.
His new album is called “El Dorado” and it’s his first solo effort away from his band. Co-written and produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach and recorded in Nashville, it’s a nod to the “City of Gold” musical riches of the region – tapped in everything from Marcus’ choice of ace local session musicians to the range of sounds and styles he creates. You’ll hear stirring blues and soul ballads, country swing and southern R&B, and straight-up rootsy rockers. You’ll hear fiery guitar work, too, but it takes a back seat to his emotive vocals and wistful lyrics. If El Dorado is Nashville, it’s also a big long ride in a big old Cadillac. Front to back and back again, this is road trip, roadhouse, blues joint music – just the stuff we need to get us back out in the world again – moving and grooving.
| 
