“Awash with wit, lust and distraction…..one of the most
inventive Blues recordings ever made by a British artist.”
MOJO****

“A rare combination of cleverness and craft.”
**** (Excellent) PENGUIN BOOK OF BLUES RECORDINGS
“Siegal is the cleverest writer and most magnetic performer
of blues in the UK.”
MOJO

It has been said that had Siegal been around in the sixties he would today be accorded the
same reverence as artists such as Van Morrison and Joe Cocker. Instead, he is a child of the
seventies who dropped out of art college in the late eighties to go busking in Germany. From
the streets of Berlin Siegal progressed to clubs around Nottingham, then to London and
ultimately to major stages around Europe.
Two successive European tours (2003/4) opening for ex-Rolling Stone Bill Wyman’s
Rhythm Kings brought him to the attention of a wider audience. Wyman also invited Ian to
record with the Rhythm Kings. This was followed by UK tours as a duo with Big Bill
Morganfield (son of Muddy Waters). During this time Siegal was also capturing the hearts of
audiences in Holland, Belgium, Austria and Hungary. In 2005 he topped the
Soul/Blues/Jazz charts in Holland and in 2006 he debuted in the USA, appearing at major
clubs and the Waterfront Festival, the largest music festival on the West Coast.
His 2005 album “Meat &Potatoes” has been universally praised and gained Ian a maximum
four star (excellent) rating in the Penguin Book of Blues Recordings – one of only two living
British Blues artists to gain this distinction. Meat & Potatoes has since been re-released as a
double disc pack together with a DVD of his stunning performance at the North Sea Jazz
Festival, where he played the main stage as one of three UK artists (the others being Jamie
Cullum and Joss Stone).
That was followed by “Swagger” his 2007 and latest release, which again received universal
praise, “No less of a testament to the talents of one of the most innovative, gifted and
engaging blues performers on the planet today.”
Biography
Born in the deep south (of England!) in 1971, Ian's earliest musical memories are of the likes
of Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis and Chuck Berry. This led him into a life-long
passion for the Blues and all of its various branches, and most of all, the inimitable Muddy
Waters.
“I cannot remember not knowing about Muddy Waters, even as a child,” says Ian. “His
music and that of Howlin’ Wolf have been a huge influence on me.”
At 16 he began to roadie occasionally for his cousin's band and one night, quite
unexpectedly, he was asked to sing. The result was a blown-away audience and a delighted
(and rather surprised) young vocal talent with a career ahead of him.
It was 2 years later that he picked up a guitar and taught himself to play. At 20 he dropped
out of art college and travelled to Berlin, busking for a living. This is where he says his
playing dramatically improved as, if he didn't make money, he didn't eat! By the time he
returned to England he knew that a career in music was the only one for him.
A visit to Nottingham resulted in a five-year stay and Ian's first band became one of the most
popular on the local music scene. He quickly showed himself to be a gifted songwriter with a
deep understanding of tradition, but with an eye on the future. Moving to London to further
his career was inevitable and Ian was soon an established part of the London Blues
community. That’s where today’s Ian Siegal band was born.
Appearances on larger festival stages followed - such as Edinburgh, Lugano, Peer, North Sea
Jazz – establishing him as one of the most natural, exciting and vibrant talents on the scene
today. Each year the stages get bigger, but what sticks most in Ian’s mind is his guest
appearance with then 92 year old Pinetop Perkins and some of the other remaining members
of Muddy Waters’ band. This was at London’s Jazz Café in 2005 to a packed house. Then at
a festival in Norway, in a role reversal, these legends of post-war Blues spontaneously joined
Ian on stage for what turned into a memorable hour-long set.