Kirk Fletcher grew up in the church in Compton, California, with the guitar always close at hand and the blues in his blood. Perhaps it’s that deeply rooted blues and gospel core that has kept him at the very top of the blues world for decades. As a sideman he has toured with Joe Bonamassa and The Fabulous Thunderbirds and recorded with Kim Wilson, whose Smokin’ Joint (2001) received a Grammy nomination. But it’s as a solo artist that Fletcher has truly come into his own.
Heartache By The Pound (2022) was recorded over three days at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals – where the studio’s legendary house band laid down immortal hits with artists including Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and The Staple Singers during the 1960s and ’70s. With Richard Cousins as co-writer and Reese Wynans (Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble) on Hammond organ, Fletcher created an album that moves as naturally through gospel and soul as it does through raw-hewn blues and funk-laced R&B. Guitar World writes: “it’s not about speed or flashy fretwork – it’s about guitar mastery and deep rooted soulfulness.”
LINEUP
Kirk Fletcher – guitar, vocals
Erika Baier – vocals
Erkan Özdemir – bass
TBA – hammond
Levent Özdemir – drums
