When Tab Benoit hits the stage at Lafayette’s Music Room (Tuesday, March 7th and Wednesday, March 8th), he’ll be bringing a flavor of the blues that hits a little differently than those of the Delta or Memphis. That’s because he’s a Louisianan, through and through.
Indeed, Benoit was inducted into the Louisiana Folklife Center Hall of Master Folk Artists in 2020, and is one of the featured musicians in the Sony Picture Classics 2022 movie JazzFest: A New Orleans Story, Frank Marshall & Ryan Suffern’s documentary on the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. As one of the most impressive guitarists to emerge from the rich bayou country of southern Louisiana in recent times, Benoit’s guitar tone is instantly recognizable, though he plays with no effects.
Memphians will also respond to his soulful voice. Indeed, even Nebraskans find it noteworthy. “Tab Benoit has been a frequent Lincoln visitor over the three-plus decades that he’s been bringing his brand of blues out of Louisiana … He’s a powerhouse vocalist who sounds something like Otis Redding,” writes the Lincoln Journal-Star.
Benoit is also renowned for his passionate environmental activism. To that end, he recently performed two nights in his hometown of Houma, Louisiana, at the 16th Annual Voice of the Wetlands Festival. He also appears prominently in the IMAX motion picture Hurricane on the Bayou, a documentary about Hurricane Katrina’s effects and a call to protect and restore the wetlands. That’s two impressive causes: the blues and the bayou — support them both, and check out a different style of blues at Lafayette’s this week.
