Stephen Dale Petit (born 19 April 1969) is an American-born guitarist, singer, songwriter and new blues musician. Petit's blues guitar experience started at a young age in California and continued through

addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...

, alcoholism, homelessness, and subsequent recovery. He went from being a performer in the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...

to giving masterclass University lectures on blues music whilst becoming a well-known stage act. Petit has released six albums, toured extensively around the United Kingdom and Europe, gaining critical recognition, sizeable sales and widespread radio airplay. His musical collaborators include

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

Ronnie Wood Ronald David Wood (born 1 June 1947) is an English rock musician, best known as a member of the Rolling Stones since 1975, and a member of Faces and the Jeff Beck Group. Wood began his career in 1964, playing lead guitar with several Brit ...

and

Mick Taylor Michael Kevin Taylor (born 17 January 1949) is an English guitarist, best known as a former member of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (1967–1969) and the Rolling Stones (1969–1974). As a member of the Stones, h ...

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. His music combined New Orleans blues, jazz, R&B, soul and funk. Active as a session mus ...

Hubert Sumlin Hubert Charles Sumlin (November 16, 1931 – December 4, 2011) was a Chicago blues guitarist and singer, best known for his "wrenched, shattering bursts of notes, sudden cliff-hanger silences and daring rhythmic suspensions" as a member of Howl ...

Albert Lee Albert William Lee (born 21 December 1943) is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked, both in the studio and on tour, with many famous musicians from a wide range of genres. He has also m ...

Chris Barber Donald Christopher Barber (17 April 1930 – 2 March 2021) was an English jazz musician, best known as a bandleader and Trombone, trombonist. He helped many musicians with their careers and had a UK top twenty trad jazz hit with "Petite Fleur ...

The Pretty Things ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

’ Phil May and

Dick Taylor Richard Clifford Taylor (born 28 January 1943) is an English musician, best known as the guitarist and founder of the Pretty Things. Taylor was also a founding member of the Rolling Stones, playing guitar and bass guitar, but left the band to ...

The Black Keys The Black Keys are an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, Singing, vocals) and Patrick Carney (Drum kit, drums). The duo began as an Independent music, independent act, record ...

’

Patrick Carney Patrick James Carney (born April 15, 1980) is an American musician and producer best known as the drummer of the Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. Early life Carney stated in an interview with '' Modern Drummer'' that he never t ...

Max Middleton David Maxwell Middleton (born 4 August 1946) is an English composer and keyboardist. Trained as a classical pianist, Middleton also had a strong affinity for jazz. He is known for his work on the Fender Rhodes electric piano and the Minimoog sy ...

, Paul Jones and

Shemekia Copeland Charon Shemekia Copeland (born April 10, 1979) is an American electric blues vocalist. She has released 12 albums, won nine Blues Music Awards, and won five Blues Blast Music Awards. In 2024, Copeland received nominations at the 67th Annual Gramm ...

. Petit's playing style, described by ''

Classic Rock Magazine ''Classic Rock'' is a British magazine and website dedicated to rock music, owned and published by Future. It was launched in October 1998 and is based in London. The magazine publishes 13 editions a year, mainly covering rock bands from the 196 ...

'' as containing "The fire of Freddie King, the instinct of Jimmy Page and the soul of Eric Clapton" moved former Rolling Stone Mick Taylor to comment: "He’s got his own unique take on contemporary blues… I’ve heard him do a great live version of Freddie King’s "Have You Ever Loved a Woman?" It was wonderful. All his albums are very interesting, he deserves the recognition."

Beginnings

Stephen Dale Petit was born in the California desert, near

Joshua Tree National Park Joshua Tree National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, US National Park located in southeastern California, straddling north-central Riverside County, California, Riverside County and part of southern San Bernardino County, ...

and grew up in

Huntington Beach Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County, California, United States. The city was originally called Pacific City, but it was changed in 1903 to be named after American businessman Henry E. Huntington. The population was 198,711 as o ...

, California which was then a small surf town south of

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. At the age of seven he received his first guitar, an acoustic. Petit could often be seen at the Huntington Beach landmark venue, The Golden Bear, which hosted such acts as

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 ...

and

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

, as well as

Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

legends

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 ...

B.B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, sh ...

and

John Mayall John Brumwell Mayall (29 November 1933 – 22 July 2024) was an English blues and Rock music, rock musician, songwriter and producer. In the 1960s, he formed John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, a band that has counted among its members some of ...

. Petit's exposure, from a young age, to some of these artists and guitar talents would have a major impact on his personal creative development and future musical career.

Meeting with Albert King and early California performances

Petit began his musical career at a young age. By his mid-teens he was performing in bars and clubs across California, including The Golden Bear, five nights a week with bands ten years his senior, alongside such musicians as

Randy Rhoads Randall William Rhoads (December 6, 1956 – March 19, 1982) was an American guitarist. He was the co-founder and original guitarist of the heavy metal band Quiet Riot, and the guitarist and co-songwriter for Ozzy Osbourne's first two solo albu ...

. During this time, Petit met and was influenced by musician

. He also met and briefly jammed with blues musician

. Major early influences on Petit's musical style included early Twentieth Century Blues pioneers

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 ...

, Albert King, blues front man

Elmore James Elmore James ( Brooks; January 27, 1918 – May 24, 1963) was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader. Noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ...

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced later generations of musicians. Although his r ...

Charley Patton Charlie Patton (April 1891 (probable) – April 28, 1934), more often spelled Charley Patton, was an American Delta blues musician and songwriter. Considered by many to be the "Father of the Delta Blues", he created an enduring body of America ...

Tampa Red Hudson Whittaker (born Hudson Woodbridge; January 8, 1903March 19, 1981), known as Tampa Red, was an American Chicago blues musician. His distinctive single-string slide guitar style, songwriting and bottleneck technique influenced other Chicago ...

Lead Belly Huddie William Ledbetter ( ; January 1888 or 1889 – December 6, 1949), better known by the stage name Lead Belly, was an American folk music, folk and blues singer notable for his strong vocals, virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the ...

and

Son House Edward James "Son" House Jr. (March 21, 1902 – October 19, 1988) was an American Delta blues singer and guitarist, noted for his highly emotional style of singing and slide guitar playing. After years of hostility to secular music, as a prea ...

. Petit also cites

British blues British blues is a form of music derived from American blues that originated in the late 1950s, and reached its height of mainstream popularity in the 1960s. In Britain, blues developed a distinctive and influential style dominated by electric g ...

pioneers

Alexis Korner Alexis Andrew Nicholas Koerner (19 April 1928 – 1 January 1984), known professionally as Alexis Korner, was a British blues musician and radio broadcaster, who has sometimes been referred to as "a founding father of British blues". A major i ...

and

Cyril Davies Cyril Davies (23 January 1932 – 7 January 1964) was an English blues musician, and one of the first blues harmonica players in England. Biography Born at St Mildred's, 15 Hawthorn Drive, Willowbank, Denham, Buckinghamshire, he was the so ...

as having influenced his teenage musical sensibilities.

Early career in the UK

In the mid-1980s, inspired by the British blues boom of the 1960s and 1970s, Petit moved from California to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Petit believes that British blues had as much impact on the genre as that of its African American pioneers: "The British contribution to the blues is equal, in my eyes, to what Robert Johnson did,

Blind Lemon Jefferson Lemon Henry "Blind Lemon" Jefferson (September 24, 1893 – December 19, 1929) was an American blues and gospel singer-songwriter and musician. He was one of the most popular and successful blues singers of the 1920s and has been called the "Fat ...

... all of those guys all the way through to

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 ...

. I think it is a certainty that without the British blues boom the music (blues) would not have anything remotely like the profile it does." During his initial years in the UK, Petit toured London's

Leicester Square Leicester Square ( ) is a pedestrianised town square, square in the West End of London, England, and is the centre of London's entertainment district. It was laid out in 1670 as Leicester Fields, which was named after the recently built Leice ...

and Little Venice over a 9-month period in Phil May of

"Friends Band" alongside May, himself, David Gilmour of

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...

and Ian Stewart of

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

. During this time Petit became acquainted with, and performed with,

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

. Petit believes Clapton's influence on guitar and blues is immense, saying that Clapton builds "solos like a well written speech".

Busking on the London Underground

In late 2003, Petit began busking intensively on the London Underground as part of the

Transport for London Transport for London (TfL) is a local government body responsible for most of the transport network in London, United Kingdom. TfL is the successor organization of the London Passenger Transport Board, which was established in 1933, and His ...

Licensed Busking Scheme, with Clapton describing this as "really admirable". Speaking to Blues Matters magazine on his time spent busking Petit commented: "Knowing that Robert Johnson, B.B. King,

Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. He was at the forefront of transforming acoustic Delta blues into electric Chica ...

, Lonnie Johnson, Blind Lemon Jefferson etc all did it, made what is essentially doing it the hard way feel like it was the only right way to start" "I know from playing below The Astoria that even

death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...

heads,

goths The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...

punks Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

... and skateboard kids like the Blues. Sometimes the metal kids upstairs would come down and say 'you're better than the band we just paid £15 to see,' that sort of stuff makes an impression on you." he further stated. Petit soon attracted media attention from

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

radio and press and television.

More recently

Funded by his busking on the London Underground, Petit released his debut album '' Guitararama'' in 2006 to critical acclaim. The album was heralded as Guitar & Bass Magazine's "Album Of The Year" while front-runner music publication ''Classic Rock Magazine'' described Petit in its 8/10 star review as "occupying a stunning middle ground between the fire of Freddie King, the instinct of Jimmy Page and the soul of Eric Clapton." The album was re-released in 2008 due to demand. In 2008, Petit embarked on his BLUnivErSity tour, travelling across the UK to colleges and universities to raise awareness of the genre, and to make the blues more accessible to young people. Petit gave extensive lectures on the blues, its history and its legacy as well as performing himself. In 2009, Petit toured with former

Bluesbreakers John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers were an English blues rock band led by multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter John Mayall. The band has been influential as an incubator for British rock and blues musicians. Many of the best known bands ...

and Rollings Stones guitarist Mick Taylor throughout the UK. In 2010 he released his second studio album '' The Crave'' which featured guest appearances from Mick Taylor, Dick Taylor and Max Middleton. His second album ''The Crave'' received critical acclaim and sold well'','' with ''Classic Rock Magazine'' placing ''The Crave'' alongside Eric Clapton and Ronnie Wood in its "Top 50 Albums Of The Year". In its review, BRFM.com likened the album's mastery of styles to

The Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...

’s iconic ''

London Calling ''London Calling'' is the third studio album by the English rock band the Clash. It was originally released as a double album in the United Kingdom on 14 December 1979 by CBS Records, and in the United States in January 1980 by Epic Records. ...

'' album. On 1 December 2010, Petit organised Save The 100 Club Benefit Concert to raise funds for the historic venue to prevent its imminent closure. Petit was joined onstage by former Rolling Stone Mick Taylor, Pretty Things guitarist and former Rolling Stones bassist Dick Taylor, Rolling Stone guitarist Ronnie Wood and British Blues forefather jazz trombonist Chris Barber for the concert. The

100 Club The 100 Club is a music venue located at 100 Oxford Street, London, England, where it has been hosting live music since 24 October 1942. It was originally called the Feldman Swing Club, but changed its name when the father of the current owner ...

benefit served as the first time three generations of the Rolling Stones’ historic line up had performed onstage together. Proceeds from his single "Need Your Love So Bad" went towards the effort to save the venue from closure. In its review of the show, leading live review site allgigs.com praised Petit's performance: "Petit’s solos, variously expansive, chunky or crying, are a living, of-this-electrifying-moment history of the guitar, from old school Delta beginnings to listen-to-this, in-your-face nu-school and beyond". Petit has played at The 100 Club on Oxford Street more than twenty times, and considers it to be his spiritual home. In August 2011, he began recording his next studio album, '' Cracking The Code'', at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, Tennessee with Grammy Award-winning producer

Vance Powell Vance Powell is an American six-time Grammy Award winning record producer, engineer and mixer. His credits include Phish, Chris Stapleton, Jack White, Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown, The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, The White Stripes, Arctic Monke ...

. The sessions for the album continued over an 18-month period and included guest appearances from legendary

Howlin’ Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. He was at the forefront of transforming acoustic Delta blues into electric Chica ...

guitarist Hubert Sumlin, Dr. John, British blues forefather Chris Barber, Mick Taylor and Patrick Carney of The Black Keys. A compilation album of Petit's live appearances on BBC Radio 2, '' The BBC Sessions,'' was released on 5 December 2011. In June 2012, a vinyl only live album '' Stephen Dale Petit At High Voltage'' was released in a limited edition pressing. The album was described as "just about the greatest live record you’ll ever hear" by ''Classic Rock''s The Blues magazine. On 15 September 2013, Petit released his third studio album '' Cracking The Code''. The Express praised the album: "Petit’s electrifying guitar and gutsy vocals are the drive behind this musical tour de force… he’s a master craftsman at the top of his game." "Thrusting blues hooligan anthems" was the verdict of premier UK music magazine MOJO. On 15 March 2015, a digital re-release of live album '' Stephen Dale Petit At High Voltage'' was released. It was one of the first albums to be released on Neil Young's PONO format. In October 2015, it was announced that Petit would join

Walter Trout Walter Trout (born March 6, 1951, in Ocean City, New Jersey, United States) is an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Biography Trout's career began on the Jersey coast scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s. He then decided to re ...

as special guest on his "I’m Back" UK Tour. In 2016, Petit toured across the UK and headlined the Rother Bluestage Festival in Roth, Germany. In March 2017, Petit flew to the US to record at

's Sputnik Sounds in Berry Hill,

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

Tennessee, with Sophie Lord (bass) and Jack Greenwood (drums). The songs from these sessions would later be released as the

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording ...

, '' 2020 Visions''. The artwork for the album cover was created by

Klaus Voormann Klaus Otto Wilhelm Voormann (born 29 April 1938) is a German graphic artist, artist, musician, and record producer. Voormann was the bassist for Manfred Mann from 1966 to 1969, and performed as a session musician on a host of recordings, includ ...

. Although slated for a late 2018 release, Petit received a Stage 4 cancer diagnosis in mid 2018, for which he underwent intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments. Petit insisted on performing throughout the treatment, though he was subsequently unable to continue work for months. In September 2019, he performed across Spain on a 15 date tour. In February 2020, Petit and his band headlined Villa Do Condo Blues Festival in Portugal. The album's rescheduled release date of 27 March 2020, with UK album launch tour of 10 dates, was cancelled due to COVID lockdown laws. Eventually ''2020 Visions'' was released digitally on 1 June 2020 and physically on 25 September that year. Petit has resumed live performances, including a return to Spain for 17 shows in November 2021, a headline appearance at The Upton Blues Festival in England, Leeds Blues Festival and The 100 Club in London. Petit began recording his next album at

RAK Studios RAK Studios is a recording studio complex, with residential facilities, used by Rak Records, and located near Regent's Park in central London, England. It was founded in 1976 by English record producer Mickie Most. History The RAK complex res ...

in London in early September 2022 with Vance Powell producing; further sessions have taken place at Brighton Electric, England and in Portugal with

Boz Boorer Martin James "Boz" Boorer (born 19 May 1962 in Edgware, Middlesex, England) is an English guitarist and producer. He founded the new wave rockabilly group the Polecats, and starting in 1991 had a 30-year collaboration with singer Morrissey as c ...

. Petit has been featured extensively on national, regional and student radio, including live in-studio sessions and interviews and specially commissioned

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...

music sessions.

Influences and ideology: The New Blues Revolution

Petit has explained, "The reason I am on the planet is to play blues guitar. I’m on a mission to spread the word about the blues and about the guitar – especially to young music lovers." Petit is widely considered a spokesperson for the "New Blues Revolution". Explaining his ideology, Petit states that he felt that blues had faded to the background of British music consciousness, and so he promoted the New Blues Revolution, seeking to restore the blues to the popularity it experienced during the British Blues Boom of the mid-1960s: "I want to restore the Blues to the Top 40 in this country, where it belongs… All modern music is in debt to the Blues… there is no reason why it can’t be restored to the popularity it once had." Speaking further to ''Classic Rock Magazine'', Petit elaborated: "I embrace the concept that the blues has to change. Heavy metal, progressive rock, death metal, shred, emo… it all has its roots in the blues….there’s a lot of stereotypical blues production and strategies and ways of recording that are really cheesy. Some people seem to adhere to those strictures, and I think it sounds really stale. What I’m saying is: how about if instead of going right we go hard left and go up two floors? I’m more interested in finding this new way forward." As part of Petit's New Blues ethos he gives masterclass lectures and performances at Universities across the UK. In 2008 he set out on a "BlUnivErSity" tour, incorporating historical perspective lectures, musical performance and multimedia presentations. "With these masterclasses I get to share my life's passion in a more interactive setting, explore this fascinating phenomenon that underpins all modern guitar music and therefore most popular music of the last 100 years." Petit embarked on a fresh University masterclass tour called "Blues2Uni" in 2016.

Discography

Albums

*'' Guitararama'' (2008) *'' The Crave'' (2010) *'' The BBC Sessions'' (2011) *'' Stephen Dale Petit At High Voltage'' (2012) *'' Cracking The Code'' (2013) *'' 2020 Visions'' (2020)

References

External links

Petit's Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Petit, Stephen Dale 1969 births Living people Blues rock musicians Blues singer-songwriters English blues guitarists English male guitarists English blues singers English rock guitarists English rock singers English male singer-songwriters English singer-songwriters English buskers Singers from London