Selwyn Birchwood (born March 9, 1985) is an American blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter from

Tampa Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

, Florida. He was the winner of the

Blues Foundation The Blues Foundation is an American nonprofit corporation, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, that is affiliated with more than 175 blues organizations from various parts of the world. Founded in 1980, a 25-person board of directors governs t ...

’s 2013

International Blues Challenge The International Blues Challenge (IBC) is a music competition run by the Blues Foundation. Notable blues artists that have competed in the IBC over the years also includes Fiona Boyes, Eden Brent, Michael Burks, Tommy Castro, Sean Costello, ...

(band category), as well the winner of the Albert King Guitarist of the Year award, presented at the same event. To win, he bested 125 other bands from around the world. Birchwood plays electric guitar and electric

lap steel guitar The lap steel guitar, also known as a Hawaiian guitar or lap slide guitar, is a type of steel guitar without pedals that is typically played with the instrument in a horizontal position across the performer's lap. Unlike the usual manner of pla ...

. His live performances feature his original songs. ''

Living Blues ''Living Blues: The Magazine of the African American Blues Tradition'' is a bi-monthly magazine focused on blues music, and America's oldest blues periodical. The magazine was founded as a quarterly in Chicago in 1970 by Jim O'Neal and Amy van ...

'' magazine said, "Selwyn Birchwood is making waves, surprising people and defying expectations. Be on the lookout. He revels in the unexpected."Aikin, Camilla. "Breaking Out: Selwyn Birchwood". ''Living Blues,'' June 2013. Issue 225, Vol 44 #3, pages 10–11 ''

The Tampa Tribune ''The Tampa Tribune'' was a daily newspaper published in Tampa, Florida. Along with the competing ''Tampa Bay Times'', the ''Tampa Tribune'' was one of two major newspapers published in the Tampa Bay area. The newspaper also published a ''St. P ...

'' said Birchwood plays with "power and precision reminiscent of blues guitar hero Buddy Guy. He is a gritty vocalist ho iscommanding with his axe." ''Rolling Stone'' said "Birchwood is a young, powerhouse guitarist and soulful vocalist. ''Don't Call No Ambulance'' is a remarkable debut by a major player." ''The Washington Post'' said, "Selwyn Birchwood is an indelibly modern and original next-generation bluesman; his tough vocals, guitar and lap steel touch on classic

Chicago blues Chicago blues is a form of blues music that developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but is performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of African Americans of the fi ...

, Southern soul and boogie."

Life and career

Birchwood was born in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

. His father was born in

Tobago Tobago, officially the Ward of Tobago, is an List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, island and Regions and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago, ward within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger islan ...

and his mother in the United Kingdom. He began playing guitar at age 13, playing primarily popular non-blues music. He soon discovered

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

, who became a major influence. Reading about Hendrix's blues influences led Birchwood to the blues, and he became a dedicated blues fan by the age of 17. He names

Buddy Guy George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaug ...

Freddie King Freddie King (born Fred Christian; September 3, 1934December 28, 1976), also billed as Freddy King, was an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the "Three Kings of the Blues Guitar" (along with Albert King a ...

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...

Albert King Albert King ( Nelson; April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps best known for his popular and ...

Lightnin' Hopkins Samuel John "Lightnin'" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982) was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist from Centerville, Texas. In 2010, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked him No. 71 on its li ...

and

Albert Collins Albert Gene Collins (October 1, 1932 – November 24, 1993)Skeely, Richard. "Albert Collins: Biography" Allmusic.com. was an American electric blues guitarist and singer with a distinctive guitar style. He was noted for his powerful playing ...

as among his favorite artists.Selwyn Birchwood Bio
''selwynbirchwood.com.'' March 1, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2014 Birchwood attended a Guy concert in Orlando when he was 18. In an interview in ''

Blues & Rhythm ''Blues & Rhythm'' is a British music magazine dealing with all aspects of blues and gospel music. Founded in July 1984 it is - along with its American counterpart ''Living Blues'' - considered to be the premier magazine for all aspects of resear ...

'' magazine, Birchwood recalled, "It just blew me away. It was like someone getting up and getting me by the shirt and shaking me around. I will never forget it. At that point was when I decided that this is what I want to do." At the age of 19, Birchwood was introduced to the neighbor of a friend, who told Birchwood that his neighbor was a blues guitarist and band leader. The neighbor was Clarence Smith, who performs and records under the name

Sonny Rhodes Clarence Smith (born Clarence Edward Mauldin; November 3, 1940 – December 14, 2021), known as Sonny Rhodes, was an American blues singer and lap steel guitar player. He recorded over two hundred songs. "I'm what you call a self-proclaimed Dis ...

, a veteran blues musician originally from Texas who spent many years in California. Rhodes played both electric guitar and electric lap steel guitar. Rhodes had recorded multiple singles, the first released in the early 1960s, and a number of albums, his first released in 1977. Birchwood's playing impressed Rhodes and soon Rhodes invited Birchwood to join his touring band.Selwyn Birchwood Bio
Alligator.com. Retrieved May 12, 2014 According to ''

'' magazine, Birchwood was just out of high school when Rhodes took him out on tour. He toured with Rhodes off and on for four years while attending college. In the same article, Birchwood stated, "I learned a lot from him (Rhodes). He took me all over the United States, all over Canada…and he showed me what the lifestyle was like. He always kept me second in command, by his side, and tried to show me how to be a bandleader. He showed me the business side of it." It was also Rhodes who inspired Birchwood to take up lap steel guitar. "Sonny always said, 'Play what's in your heart.' I've never lost sight of that," said Birchwood. Birchwood continued his education and received his MBA from the

University of Tampa The University of Tampa (UTampa, UT or Tampa U) is a private university in Tampa, Florida. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. UTampa offers more than 200 programs of study, including 19 master's degrees and a br ...

. "I challenged myself to get that degree," Birchwood said. "These days, it's not good enough to just be a good player." In 2010, Birchwood moved to Tampa and formed the current version of The Selwyn Birchwood Band, with Donald Wright on bass, Curtis Nutall on drums and baritone sax player Regi Oliver. The band competed in the 2012

before winning in 2013. Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer was a judge for the finals of the Blues Challenge in 2013. He stated, "I saw Selwyn's potential in 2012. He absolutely deserved to win in 2013." The band began touring outside of Florida and, in early 2014, signed with the Intrepid Artists booking agency of

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

. Since winning the International Blues Challenge, the Selwyn Birchwood Band has performed at many festivals including The

Springing the Blues Springing the Blues is an annual blues festival held in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. It is one of the largest and oldest blues festivals on the East Coast of the United States. It was first held in 1990 and has been held yearly on the first week ...

Festival, The Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, The Tampa Bay Blues Festival, The

King Biscuit Blues Festival The King Biscuit Blues Festival is an annual, multi-day blues festival, held in Helena, Arkansas, United States. History The name of the festival comes from ''King Biscuit Time'', which was the longest running radio show. Sonny Boy Williamson I ...

, The North Atlantic Blues Festival and also on The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise. Birchwood has opened for

Robert Cray Robert William Cray (born August 1, 1953) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He has led his own band and won five Grammy Awards. Early life Robert Cray was born on August 1, 1953, in Columbus, Georgia, while his father was stationed at ...

and

, and has shared the stage with veteran bluesman and fellow Alligator Records artist

Joe Louis Walker Louis Joseph Walker Jr. (December 25, 1949 – April 30, 2025), known as Joe Louis Walker, was an American musician, best known as an electric blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer. His knowledge of blues history is revealed by his u ...

(who made a guest appearance on ''Don't Call No Ambulance''). On June 10, 2014, Chicago-based

Alligator Records Alligator Records is an American, Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971. Iglauer was also one of the founders of the '' Living Blues'' magazine in Chicago in 1970. History Iglauer started the label using ...

released his debut album for the label, ''Don't Call No Ambulance''. The album was produced by Birchwood, recorded in Florida and mixed in Chicago under the supervision of Birchwood and Alligator Records president

Bruce Iglauer Bruce Iglauer (born July 10, 1947) is an American businessman and record producer who founded Alligator Records as an independent record label featuring blues music. Early life and career Iglauer was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States ...

. Previous to the Alligator release, Birchwood had self-released two CDs, ''FL Boy'' (2011) and ''Road Worn'' (2013). In 2015, Birchwood won a

Blues Music Award The Blues Music Awards, formerly known as the W. C. Handy Awards (or "The Handys"), are awards presented by the Blues Foundation, a non-profit organization set up to foster blues heritage. The awards were originally named in honor of W. C. Handy, " ...

in the 'Best New Artist Album' category for ''Don't Call No Ambulance''.

Discography

* 2011: ''FL Boy'' * 2013: ''Road Worn'' * 2014: ''Don't Call No Ambulance'' (

Alligator An alligator, or colloquially gator, is a large reptile in the genus ''Alligator'' of the Family (biology), family Alligatoridae in the Order (biology), order Crocodilia. The two Extant taxon, extant species are the American alligator (''A. mis ...

) * 2017: ''Pick Your Poison'' * 2021: ''Living in a Burning House'' * 2023: ''Exorcist''

Current band members

*Selwyn Birchwood – Guitar, Lap Steel, Vocals *Regi Oliver – Baritone Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Flute *Donald "Huff" Wright – Bass *Courtney "Big Love" Girlie – Drums *Mike Hensley - B3 Organ, Keyboards.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Birchwood, Selwyn 1985 births Living people African-American guitarists American blues singers American blues guitarists American male guitarists Contemporary blues musicians American lead guitarists Songwriters from Florida 21st-century African-American male singers 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American guitarists Alligator Records artists African-American songwriters American male songwriters