Southern Avenue

Formed in 2015, the Memphis-based blues band Southern Avenue are newcomers to the US blues scene having recorded just one album, the self-titled Southern Avenue, which reached number six on the Billboard blues chart in February 2017 and number one on the iTunes Blues Chart. After reaching the finals of the Blues Foundation's International Blues Challenge in 2016 the band were touted as "the most talked about band in Memphis" and subsequently signed to the famous blues and soul label Stax Records. The band are led by Ori Naftaly, an Israeli-born guitarist who relocated to Memphis in 2013. The band's music is described as a "unique blend of gospel-tinged R&B vocals, roots/blues-based guitar work and soul-inspired songwriting" and they have made a major impact on the US blues circuit playing to large audiences at various festivals across the States. The band received valuable exposure when they opened for the popular North Mississippi Allstars on the band's Prayer for Peace Tour and are tipped to become a premier blues attraction on the US concert scene. Regularly performing in festivals, they followed with albums Keep On (2019), ranked number 5 in US Top Blues Albums Chart, and Be the Love You Want in 2021. In 2025 was released their four full-length Family, which reached number 12 in Blues charts.