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A female guitar prodigy, at fourteen Chantel was told by major labels that she had a "great voice, but girls don't play guitar like that!" Wisely ignoring the comments, she enrolled at the Leeds College of Music and became the first student in the college’s history, to achieve a 100% pass mark, with 18 distinctions. Chantel left with a First Class Honours degree in Popular Music and a coveted prize, the college’s musician of the year award.

In previous years, Chantel stepped out in the pro-musician world and her stunning live performances demonstrated that she had the ability to perform rock for the new age, played by a musician born with an effortless virtuosity. Since then, she has built a loyal and growing fan base who follow her every move.

If you measure an artist’s prospects by the company they keep, then Chantel has been moving in the right direction. Early in her career, Chantel was invited to perform with Joe Bonamassa, on two of his UK tours.

When Chantel released her 2011 debut album, Like No Other, one critic said, “Chantel McGregor deserves to be held up as a messiah of blues-rock and given her own mountain. She doesn't strum or pick her guitar but almost bends and distorts it, as if she's channelling the ghost of Hendrix through her fingers"

The album was produced by Livingstone Brown, whose production credits include Ed Sheeran, Robin Trower, and Shakira. The end result was a beautifully crafted debut album that showcased Chantel’s versatility and talent as a singer-songwriter.

Chantel’s follow up album, Like Control, again produced by Livingstone Brown, was released in October 2015 to critical acclaim.

All About Rock’s review of the album said: 'The album in its entirety has a common theme running through of gothic imagery which makes it almost a concept album but each track stands out on its own. Chantel’s double tracked vocals are amazingly tight & the production on this album sounds loose which is a compliment to Livingstone Brown & Chantel who have obviously spent a lot of time on the arrangements. The girl can obviously shred but she does so in a very understated & despite the title of the album, a controlled way. Recommended for fans of blues, rock, Jeff Buckley, Marillion, Big & Rich, Country & Nick Drake. This is a hard album to categorize & pigeon hole which in this day & age of labels & boxes is a good thing.'

Planetmosh reviewed the album with the following comment: 'The album is full of great guitar work, but Chantel McGregor isn’t just a guitar player – she does the vocals too and they are equally impressive. She’s got a great voice and the variety of songs on the album allows her to demonstrate a range of styles vocally. It really is a great album.'

The single, Take The Power, was playlisted for 5 weeks on Planet Rock radio.

Chantel has recently been interviewed for features on Sky News, BBC Radio Five Live and BBC Radio Four.

In December 2018, Chantel launched her own Podcast, which has been very successful, earning a place in the iTunes Podcast Charts.


Dana Gillespie made her first record in 1964 and all these years later she is still recording, and released her 70th album at the end of 2019 called ‘Under My Bed’ for Ace Records. In the '70s she was the first Mary Magdalene in the West End musical 'Jesus Christ Superstar' and also worked with David Bowie as he wrote the song ‘Andy Warhol’ for her and she sang on his ‘Ziggy Stardust’ album. In the '60s and '70s she made many films but Blues music has always been her first love, and she considers herself as a song writer who sings! Her musicians are known as The London Blues Band and they are considered to be the cream of the London Blues scene.











Blues and soul become inextricably entwined in award-winning singer-songwriter, Kyla Brox, whose raw talent has seen her described as “the finest female blues singer of her generation”. Winner of the 2018 UK Blues Challenge, Kyla has the honour of representing the UK in Memphis at the 2019 International Blues Challenge, as well as the European event in the Azores. In a huge nod to her ongoing stature in British Blues, the UK Blues Federation made Kyla an official Ambassador of UK Blues in 2016 and she is one of only three British singers privileged to be included in the 50 Women of the Blues Spotify playlist.
 
Daughter of cult blues figure, Victor Brox, the Mancunian vocalist began her career as a teenager in her father’s band and has now honed her own sophisticated sound, as heard on her critically acclaimed 2016 album, Throw Away Your Blues and the scintillating, multi-faceted new 2019 album, Pain & Glory. Her voice; tender, urgent, gritty, blurring the distinction between pleasure and pain, mixed with the enchantingly fluent guitar work of Paul Farr, inspired bass playing of Danny Blomeley and in-the-pocket drumming of Mark Warburton, combine to make a unique and powerful, often joyous, always emotional experience.
 
Kyla also plays in duo form with her husband, virtuoso acoustic guitarist, Danny Blomeley, whose playing, by turns delicate and unrestrained, has earned him a following in his own right.
 
With many albums under her belt and many miles covered on the road, touring all over the world, Kyla Brox is widely regarded as one of the very best soul-blues singers the British Isles has ever produced.


The Cinelli Brothers

The Cinelli Brothers is a project born out of a common passion for the electric Chicago and Texas blues from the 60s and 70s, when Marco (guitarist, singer and composer) and Alessandro (drummer, backing vocalist and arranger) decided to form an explosive team showcasing original repertoire in the style of Chess, Stax and Motown. After a series of successful shows around Europe (France, UK, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal), the band decided to take things to another level. Babe Please Set Your Alarm was recorded at the Soup Studio in London and the full live and analog recording was released in May 2018 on vinyl and digital format.This album comprises original compositions as well as a few covers, such as ‘Chain of Fools’ or ‘Back Door Man’ – which stays true to Willie Dixon’s number, as well as Prince’s ‘Kiss’, in a remarkable shuffle rhythm. The Cinelli Brothers champion a new generation of passionate musicians sharing in the love of Blues, Soul, R&B and the true authentic sounds that have made the blues a cornerstone of music history.

The Ryk Mead Band, are indeed a blues band but by definition a lot more. A Stunning Power Blues, Jazz, Rock Trio. Through playing many different styles of music it has always been the case that the blues has had a deep influence on whatever type of material I’ve played. As time progressed, so did the inclination to select the more obscure and less trodden path of song and material I wanted to play. It's hard to say whether this is my influence on the other members of the band or if the others have joined because they feel the same about the way music has influenced them. Whatever the case my band has developed a style of its own. When i play live the set may change from night to night. We might suddenly change an arrangement or change direction at any moment within a song. The basis of the song stays the same but things change, imagination and feel for the moment take over; something new is created. Not even the guy’s in the band know when it's coming. This creates a tension and excitement that means things evolve and develop night by night.  With hard work it becomes possible. This makes every gig potentially electrifying and new. Ryk Mead, singer/guitarist, songwriter, Musical Director; Heart and soul of the band. A confirmed guitar virtuoso, started a gigging career on stage in the late 60s, touring in Germany from October 1969, he has built a reputation on solid experience gained alongside some of the worlds famous names, such as: Dave Gilmour (Pink Floyd), Annie Lennox, Alison Moyet, The Pretty Things, Steve Waller (Manfred Man's Earth Band), Paul Fox and Dave Ruffy (The Ruts), Elmer Gantry (Stretch / Alan Parsons Project) Beverley Martyn (partner of former icon John Martyn) and a host supporting musicians from the professional arena. Working through many styles and genres, as professionals often do, Ryk has paid his dues and now has a world of experience to draw on. But if you listen you will hear in all these styles the heart of the blues. Internationally, this native Londoner is performing all over the world, from China to the United States. Recently appeared in the USA as supporting act for Willy Nelson, and in Europe often touring France. A mix of new songs and traditional covers plus original material. Genres are a spread over Rock, Jazz, melodic, and ethnic blues. Featuring songs from the album “Chicago” the last CD from Ryk Mead.  And his latest EP “Pictures in a Gallery”, due for release soon.
Since bursting on to the UK Blues scene with their debut record ‘The Uprising EP’ in April 2019 followed by their second EP ‘Innocence Of Youth’ in May 2020, Grace and Aaron have been going from strength to strength. The British husband and wife duo have an
ever-growing online fan base and have gained the attention of Cerys Matthews’ The Blues Show on BBC Radio 2.

Their unique harmonic vocal-led approach to song writing, dirty electric guitar, slide resonator mandolin and fiddle create a unique distinctive and contemporary blues rock sound that echoes 1970s classic rock with hints of the 1930s blues that inspire them.

Before lockdown, the duo toured the UK in their self-converted VW camper with an impressive tour schedule. Since the lockdown, the duo live stream on Facebook every Saturday at 8pm BST for their ‘Rock The Lockdown’ series attracting hundreds of thousands of views on a weekly basis. Fan engagement is second to none, while WRM fans continue to organically multiply on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

On November 20th, 2020, the duo released their long-awaited debut album ‘We Fly Free’, to critical acclaim from the UK radio and rock music magazine media.
SOLID ENTERTAINMENTS Presents... BURY ST EDMUNDS BLUES FESTIVAL