SEAN CHAMBERS

Sean Chambers Biography "Strong Temptation is arguably the most impressive, sure footed dynamic blues debut since SRV's Texas Flood. And we don't make such claims lightly. It has only nine tracks, but they all ooze driving grooves and barn-burnin' soloing that smoke in the very finest traditions of post-Winter, SRV and Hendrix power Blues-Rock." Five Stars - Total Guitar Magazine Joining the ranks of Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd is an exciting hard-edged guitarist making big strides in the ever widening Blues-Rock field. With over a decade of stage experience behind him, Chambers' sound is raw, raucous and intense. His early musical tastes revolved around metal icons Kiss, Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne and Iron Maiden to name a few. Then in 1984, at the age of sixteen, Chambers discovered Jimi Hendrix's "Red House". "I couldn't believe my ears. I had never heard someone play guitar like that; with so much feeling and energy, plus he was singing too. It felt so right. I decided at that moment that this was exactly what I wanted to do." For the next four years, Chambers describes himself as a "Hendrix Freak". In 1987, Chambers formed a band called Code Blue. "I had listened to nothing but Hendrix for almost four years and after hearing all of his stuff thousands of times I was convinced there was nobody else that was going to give me the feeling Jimi did. That's when a good buddy of mine turned me on to Stevie Ray's Couldn't Stand The Weather album. I listened to "Scuttle Buttin'" for weeks before I ever listened to the rest of the album. Again, I couldn't believe my ears. I will never forget that." It was at this point that Sean dove deeper into Jimi and Stevie's influences -- Freddie and Albert King, Albert Collins, Johnny Winter and Buddy Guy to name a few. Says Chambers, "I was born again." "In '89 I had started to go to college but it was hard to mix playing as much as we were and the hours school demanded to do well. Needless to say, I would miss classes here and there trying to balance the two. It got to the point that one more absence meant I had to withdraw. About a week later, Stevie was playing in Tampa and I had a big decision to make. Go see Stevie and Jeff Beck at the Sun Dome and be expelled from school, or buckle down and go to class. That was definitely the best show I've ever seen." "In 1990, when I was really in to Stevie, he died. I was shocked and heartbroken. My band was asked to do a tribute in his honor on August 27, 1991 (exactly one year after his death) at the Rocket Club in Tampa. There was a tremendous turnout. People came from everywhere to see the performance and the newspapers gave us great reviews. The response was enough to land us an agent and we spent the next two years touring the country primarily playing Stevie's material while interspersing some of our own." I learned a lot from touring and it was an honor to have people accept us and appreciate our tribute to Stevie. We did it from the heart with him in mind every night. We had a lot of fun but after two years, I felt it was time to step out and develop my own sound. I went from touring the country, playing two hour sets and making decent money to doing three sets a night in small bars for a handful of people and very little money. I had to start over from scratch." From that point on Chambers worked to develop his live show and expand his fan base, using every bit of his energy to give the crowds the best show possible and establish Sean Chambers as a name. Chambers debut album came about as a result of interest in his music from New York City. "By '97, I had a number of original songs and was performing over 150 dates a year around Florida. Steve Einzig (formerly James Brown's agent), called me up after hearing about us and came down to catch us in Port Charlotte. After the show, we sat for hours discussing what I would need to do to take the band to the next level. Six months later, Steve came down to help us in the studio. After the first day, we knew everything felt right and he officially became my manager a week later." With the world undergoing a Blues renaissance, legendary acts like B.B. King and Buddy Guy are now bigger than ever. Radio has become more friendly to the music and the Blues has even been given its first bona fide pin-up boys since the '70's (Lang and Shepherd). The world is now ready for Sean Chambers. The band members (including Scott Smalley on bass and Rich Russo on drums) have honed their skills to a razor sharp edge as they continue their relentlessly campaign in support of their critically acclaimed debut release Strong Temptation. We invite you to enjoy the fruits of their long yet heartfelt journey. Sean's critics say it best: "Chambers lists Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix as his biggest influences and on his first album,Strong Temptation, he does both guitar legends proud. Chambers delivers his hard-rocking Blues with the assurance of a 50 year old veteran, belying his mere 30 years." Guitar World February '99 "A tasty bouillabaisse of blues that owes as much to Freddie King and Johnny Winter as it does to the mighty SRV." Musician April '99 "If this isn't the best blues-rock guitar record you hear all year, I'll eat my Strat!" Five Stars - Total Guitar Magazine May '99 "A hot new sound from a hot new artist! Listen to him eat up a guitar...you'll love it." Elwood Blues House Of Blues Radio Show "Chambers plays his guitar with dirty ferocity, evoking shades of Johnny Winter and Freddie King in the process. And his playing is augmented by a tough vocal delivery that belies his 29 years." Guitar Magazine December '98 Guitar & Vocals: Sean Chambers Bass: Scott Smalley Drums: Rich Russo Sean Chambers All Music Guide Biography Guitarist, singer, and songwriter Sean Chambers counts Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan among his primary guitar influences, and their type of guitar stylings can be heard in his recordings and at his live shows. Raised on the Gulf coast of Florida, like so many others enamored with blues and blues-rock who played guitar, the younger Sean Chambers also lent his teenaged ears to recordings by Johnny Winter, Freddie King, B.B. King and Albert King, as well as Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and ZZ Top. Chambers released his debut album, Strong Temptation in 1998, after 15 years of playing out in clubs and refining his vocal and guitar talents. After finishing up college, Chambers caught a break in Memphis in 1998 when he was asked to play with former Howlin' Wolf guitarist Hubert Sumlin at a Memphis blues festival. He subsequently toured with the veteran guitarist -- who recovered from cancer to get back on the road -- for the next four years. Chambers has shared stages and sat in with many of his blues and blues-rock heroes, including Derek Trucks, Gregg Allman, Kim Simmons, Tab Benoit, Jeff Healey, Leslie West, Rick Derringer, Pat Travers, Kim Wilson, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Walter Trout, Big Bill Morganfield, Koko Taylor, Ike Turner, and Robert Cray, among dozens of others who frequent the Tampa area club scene. Chambers tours mostly in Florida with the occasional foray north or to the Midwest or to Great Britain. His discography includes just two albums, but a third is in the works. They include Strong Temptation for Vestige Records and 2005's Humble Spirits for Rockview Records. In 2001, Great Britain's Guitarist magazine named Chambers one of the Fifty Greatest Guitarists of all time. ~ Richard Skelly, All Music Guide