Bobby Rush

Bobby Rush is an American blues icon whose Grammy-winning music embraces a variety of styles, including funk, soul, and R&B. He was born as "Emmett Ellis Jr" on November 10, 1933, in Homer, Louisiana. While spending his teenage years in Arkansas, Rush met singer-guitarist Elmore James, slide guitarist Boyd Gilmore, and pianist Johnny 'Big Moose' Walker, all three of whom became members of his first band. When his family moved to Chicago in the early 1950s, he began a successful career as a guitar player with artists such as Jimmy Reed, Howlin' Wolf, Etta James, and Muddy Waters. He had a minor but influential hit with the single "Chicken Heads," which went to number 34 on Billboard's Hot R&B Songs Chart in 1971, then made his full-length debut with Rush Hour in 1979. During the following years, he released solo albums like 'Sue' (1982), 'Gotta Have Money' (1984), 'What's Good for the Goose Is Good for the Gander' and 'Man Can Give' (1990). As he became an elder statesman of blues music during the early 21st century, he also began receiving numerous Grammy nominations, although it wasn't until 2017 that he won his first award. His first Grammy-winning album, Porcupine Meat, was named "Best Traditional Blues Album" at that year's awards ceremony, and Rush followed its success with albums like 2020's Rawer Than Raw and 2023's All My Love For You, both of which also received Grammy Awards in the same category.