Paul Geremia

by Bruce EderSince his recording debut in 1968, Paul Geremia has been one of the best white acoustic bluesmen working, for his expressive singing as well as his dexterous playing. A native of Rhode Island, he originally came to blues by way of the 1960s folk boom, but unlike a lot of other players on that scene, he never went electric. His influences from an early age include Woody Guthrie, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Big Bill Broonzy, Barbecue Bob, Skip James, Tampa Red, and King Oliver. As an acoustic blues specialist, he's enough of a purist that when he covered a Muddy Waters song on his debut album, it was "I Be Troubled," not the song's more familiar incarnation as "I Can't Be Satisfied."