Blues guitarist Joe Kubek and songwriter – born November 30, 1956, in Grove City, Pennsylvania – was better known by his stage name Smokin’ Joe Kubek. Growing up in Dallas, Texas, the guitarist began performing locally when he was a teenager and shared the stage with blues heroes like Freddie King. In the early 1980s, he began a musical collaboration with Louisiana-born/Texas-based blues guitarist and vocalist Bnois King. Smokin’ Joe Kubek released his first single, “Drivin’ Sideways”, in 1985 but didn’t issue an album until 1991 when he released The Axe Man and Steppin’ Out Texas Style. He was an extremely prolific artist, releasing over a dozen albums on various labels including Bullseye Records, Blind Pig Records, Alligator Records, and Delta Grove Records. His catalog, most of which feature Bnois King, includes Texas Cadillac (1993), Cryin’ for the Moon (1995), Bite Me! (2000), Served Up Texas Style (2005), Blood Brothers (2008), Close to the Bone (2012), and Fat Man’s Shine Parlor (2015). Smokin’ Joe Kubek died of a heart attack on October 11, 2015, at the age of 58.
