Eric Deaton is a Grammy-nominated torchbearer of the North Mississippi Hill Country Blues tradition, having received an apprenticeship first-hand from the masters of this particularly hypnotic, backwoods strain of blues- Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside. With his band, the Eric Deaton Trio, he brings forth influences from his electric juke joint upbringing, interpreted with dashes of psychedelic funk, East Indian sitar drones, and a nod to the blues' West African roots.
Early Years and Influences:
Eric Deaton was born and raised in North Carolina. In 1989, he got his first guitar at age 13 and studied for several years under Carolina guitar guru Audley Freed.
In 1994, Eric moved from North Carolina to Mississippi straight out of high school and entered a higher education program of moonshine-fueled hill country blues at the world-renowned Junior Kimbrough's juke joint in the mid to late '90's, playing bass or guitar with trance-blues masters Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside (and various other members of their extended families).
Touring and Recording Accolades:
Eric first toured the country as a member of the Fat Possum Juke Joint Caravan, backing up T-Model Ford and Paul 'Wine' Jones. In the years since, Eric has toured or recorded with such luminaries as Jimbo Mathus, Afrissippi, Shannon McNally, Alvin "Youngblood" Hart, Reverend John Wilkins, and Dan Auerbach.
Recorded in 2015 in Crissier, Switzerland
Eric Deaton playing bass with Junior Kimbrough
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