Folk and Blues performer Andy Kimbel takes us through tracks from his new digital releases

Born and raised in the Philadelphia area, “as a kid I listened to rock ’n’ roll, my parent’s classical music collection and whatever else was on the radio,” says Kimbel. “I discovered the music of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Peter Paul and Mary, The Weavers and, through them, songs by Bob Dylan, Reverend Gary Davis and Robert Johnson, although I did not really know who they were by name.”

Kimbel began playing the guitar and piano when he was about 9 and by 11, was playing in a band. In his early teens, he got an electric guitar and started gigging at various functions in the Philadelphia area.

Andy later went to school to pursue a career in aviation and become an instructor and pilot, flying various types of equipment for several carriers during his tenure.  It wasn’t until a pilot furlough in the early 90’s that Andy picked up the guitar, went out and played thinking that it would give him something to do until he got back into the cockpit. He would also frequent various clubs and coffeehouses watching and learning from performers like Garnet Rogers, Chris Smither, Tom Rush and Bill Morrissey. It was then that the call of the Philadelphia and New York blues and singer-songwriter scene grabbed Andy and brought him in as a performer at these same venues.

Over the last almost 30 years, Andy Kimbel as an “indie” artist, and on occasion with his backing AK Express band, has performed over 2000 shows at a variety of venues from large festivals and concert halls to smaller more intimate folk clubs, house concerts and listening rooms.

Whether it be a performance for 40 people at a folk club or house concert, thousands at a festival, or millions on television as he did regularly on QVC earlier in his career, Kimbel makes the stage his home and it shows.

 

Take a listen to this preview of Andy's latest digital release "Undr Cover 3" which includes va some of the most requested cover tunes that Andy will pull out of the hat and two improv 12-string guitar tunes that Andy played live on the fly. "Killing The blues" is a single and is yet another version of this popular Rowland Sally song.   Enjoy!!