Biography
Carlton Weathersby (born in Jackson, Mississippi, on 24 February 1953; died 9 August 2024) was an American electric blues vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter remembered for his work with Albert King and Billy Branch, among others, and his career as a solo artist. He was nominated for the W. C. Handy Award for Best New Blues Artist in 1997.
Weathersby moved to east Chicago, Indiana, with his family when he was eight. When he started playing guitar as a teen he said his father always had musician friends stopping by the house. One that used to come by often was this big guy that Carl only knew as Albert, the mechanic. Albert happened to be watching the young Weathersby practicing some Albert King songs on guitar one day. Weathersby said he had been practicing this one song called 'Cross Cut Saw,' playing it over and over until he said, 'I think I got it. So I started playing it and this guy said, 'man, that ain't the way that song goes, that ain't the way I played it.' It turned out to be Albert King who proceeded to show an amazed Weathersby just how it was supposed to be played. King offered some welcome encouragement to Weathersby and took a liking to the young lad.
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After his tour of duty in Viet Nam, Weathersby found employment as a steel mill worker, as a prison guard and even a police officer. Weathersby was Albert King's rhythm guitarist between 1979 and 1982, and then spent some 15 years with Billy Branch's Sons of Blues as lead guitarist before striking out on his own. His debut solo album on Evidence Records, 'Don't Lay Your Blues On Me', was nominated for the W.C. Handy 'Blues Album of the Year' award.
Mixing Southern charm, soulful vocals, and fierce guitar-playing, Weathersby played the blues, from down-and-dirty to scintillating Albert King influenced chops.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.