Rolling Stone Magazine called him a powerhouse guitarist and soulful vocalist, and he’s coming to Gainesville.
Blues singer, songwriter and guitarist Selwyn Birchwood will perform with his band at the Downtown Blues Concert on Bo Diddley Community Plaza. The free show is Friday starting at 7 p.m.
The Tampa-raised 29-year-old said after he won the Blues Foundation’s 2013 International Blues Challenge, a lot of doors began to open up.
The Director of Publicity for the Alligator Records, Marc Lipkin, said he has had his eye on Birchwood for a while.
“He’s a talented young man, a gifted musician,” Lipkin said. “He has a bright future ahead.”
Birchwood said he doesn’t come from a musical family. Blues was just something he liked to listen to on his own until one day he began to play what he heard on the radio.
“I got a Jimi Hendrix CD, and I was blown away,” he said.
Birchwood said he would purposefully play a Muddy Waters CD in his car during a date as a test. He would question the ladies to see if they knew who the father of modern Chicago blues was. That was a deciding factor in determining if the girl was truly worth pursuing.
“Music is so important in my life,” Birchwood explained.
He remembers going to a Buddy Guy concert when he was 17 and realizing performing was something he wanted to do.
Although his parents wanted him to pursue a master’s degree after completing his bachelor’s in business administration at the University of Tampa, they understood it was his dream and supported him.
He said people identify with the messages his lyrics contain, and that plays a big role in his success.
“I try to write from the standpoint that people will be able to relate to,” he said.
