It's a story of a different sor t
An extraordinary bluesman is raised in the suburbs; in the shadow of a Wal-Mart store... A youngster learns the depth and breadth of the blues without leaving his house... Living in Spartanburg, South Carolina, his style mimics neither the sprightly, acoustic - based Piedmont blues indigenous to his region nor the all- influential Texas sounds of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan... A gentle and shy young man becomes a FEROCIOUS and animated axe king the second he hits the stage...However, that's all background material. None of it would matter if Shane Pruitt couldn't play. But, he plays mightily. Tinsley Ellis calls him a "young Buddy Guy". Patrick Vining says, "It won't be long until every blues fan in America knows Pruitt's name". And it's not just musicians who are raving : Peter Cooper, music critic for the Nashville Tennessean, names Pruitt as "the most exciting young bluesman working today".
With that much established, or at least asserted, we can step back from the 'what' in order to further examine the 'why'. Now 27 years old, Pruitt grew up listening to his parents record collection and hearing rock, bluegrass, and hillbilly music readily found in Upstate South Carolina. Encouraged by his dad, Shane began playing guitar at age 12, taking lessons long enough to learn Howlin Wolf's "Smokestack Lightning". While he lost interest for a time, he picked up the guitar again at 15, returning to the instrument on the evening Marshall Tucker Band lead guitarist, Toy Caldwell (also of Spartanburg) died.
The six-string became a comfort to Pruitt during his teen years, as a lengthy illness debilitated his father. Shane would come home from high school and spend the rest of the day caring for his father, playing guitar all day or reading. When his father passed away in January '98, Pruitt emerged from the house as a changed person and a fully realized player.
From there it was on to an informal apprenticeship with Little Pink Anderson (who calls Shane "one of the future stars of the blues") and then to a road gig with Patrick Vining's Blue Sharks. From there Shane went on to form the "high energy" greasy funk sounds of Flat Front Tire, which still plays today. It's with this band that Shane comes into his own as a guitar player, singer, and songwriter.
Shane has had the opportunity to play with or share the stage with: Tower of Power, Little Feat, The Derek Trucks Band, Oteil Burbridge, Acoustic Syndicate, Rev. Jeff Mosier and the Ear Reverents, Nappy Brown, Tinsley Ellis, Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials, Sean Costello, Gatemouth Brown, North Mississippi Allstars, Gibb Droll, Theodis Ealey, Eddie Kirkland, Medeski, Martin, and Wood, Robert Randolph and the Word, G-Love, Special Sauce, Gary Hoey, and numerous others.
To sum it up, Shane plays 'the blues that groove without compromise and wail without mercy'. Shane's sound is both powerful and accessible, the rare sort that rewards deep listening while still pleasing those who come simply to dance and drink. Onstage, he is an electrifying presence stomping amidst the amps, cords and mic stands, smiling beautifully, as if he has his eye on the sparrow, shaking his head from side to side as shocks of curly red hair bob and wave.
It's quite a show... another two hour chapter in a story of a different sort.
Share Your Love (outro)
Share Your Love (outro continued)