Blues Hall of Famer Bobby Rush has been making records for nearly 70 years. Rush is one of the last Black bluesmen from the class to emerge out of and triumph in the 1950s, ’60s, and ’70s. He has recorded for more than 20 labels, from Checker/Chess and ABC to Philly Int’l and Rounder/Concord. After finding success in the '70s, Rush established his reputation as "King of the Chitlin’ Circuit" (Rolling Stone) in the '80s, playing a minimum of 200 shows a year.
Rush has finally started getting his due this century. In 2003, he starred in “The Road to Memphis,” an episode of the Martin Scorsese-produced documentary series The Blues. With the release of his 2020 album Rawer Than Raw, an all-acoustic effort that pays tribute to the rich blues history of Mississippi, Rush has cemented his reputation as one of the preeminent bluesmen in the world, one of the last living links to the music’s glorious past, and an inspiration for its future stars. The album just won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album, his second Grammy Award and sixth nomination.