Aynsley Lister (GB)

About

Aynsley Lister is a guitarist and songwriter from Leicester whose blues rock sound draws on the raw, hard driving feel of early Eric Clapton while staying firmly rooted in traditional blues. His debut on Ruf Records came after label owner Thomas Ruf caught three of his original compositions on an early album, and from there Lister built a reputation as a serious live act, opening for the likes of Buddy Guy, Robert Cray and Lynyrd Skynyrd before graduating to headline slots at major European festivals. He played to over 16,000 people on the UK leg of Lynyrd Skynyrd's God and Guns tour in 2009 and pulled a headline set at Glastonbury in 2010. In 2007, Classic Rock named him the only British artist in their Top 10 Contemporary Blues Artists list, putting him alongside Joe Bonamassa, The Black Keys and Derek Trucks. His album Tower Sessions, recorded live in one go at the Tower Arts Centre, was voted Best Live Album in the 2011 Blues Matters Writers Poll. By 2013 he had set up his own label, Straight Talkin' Records, releasing Home independently and winning Best Songwriter and Best Song at the British Blues Awards in 2014.