Guitarist Tab Benoit Continues ‘Whiskey Bayou Revue’ Tour

Renowned Louisiana guitarist Tab Benoit continues his ‘Whiskey Bayou Revue’ Tour (named for Benoit’s Loui-siana-based record label), with upcoming Florida perfor-mances at Skippers Smokehouse in Tampa on January 17 and 18; and the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise that departs from Ft. Lauderdale, January 19-26.

Benoit co-authored a just-released book, Blues Therapy, about the blues and mental illness, which seeks to dispel myths about mental illness and mental health treatment, discusses the therapeutic effects of music (particularly the blues and the blues community), as well as the aspects of a musician’s lifestyle that can exacerbate mental health problems. All proceeds from the sale of Blues Therapy benefit the HART Fund, which pays for medical and men-tal health as well as substance abuse treatment for blues musicians in financial need.

Reviewing a recent live Tab Benoit show, Blues Rock Re-view writes, “Song number two was “Little Girl Blues” a hard rocking bayou blues song from 2005’s Fever From the Bayou giving Tab the opportunity to demonstrate his prowess on the six string by attacking it like a man pos-sessed. “Nothing Takes the Place of You” by Toussaint Mc-Call was a beautiful soaring blues tune that Benoit sang with a passion reminiscent of the late great Otis Redding.

The final song of Benoit’s 75-minute set was “Medicine” the title barn burning song from the 2011 album. The band was so tight by this time that it was seamless in the way that the trio interplayed with each other. The night ended as a satisfied audience expressed their appreciation for a great show.”

Benoit, who’s always been known for his environmental activism, performed two nights recently in his hometown of Houma, Louisiana at the 16th Annual Voice of the Wet-lands Festival. He also appears prominently in the IMax motion picture Hurricane on the Bayou, a documentary of Hurricane Katrina’s effects and a call to protect and re-store the Wetlands, and produced a CD to help restore that state’s Coastal Wetlands. Benoit was recently induct-ed into the Louisiana Folklife Center Hall of Master Folk Artists.

Benoit recently launched his own imprint, Whiskey Bayou Records, with partner and manager, Rueben Williams. The label has thus far released albums by such established artists as Eric McFadden, Damon Fowler, Eric Johanson, Jeff McCarty, and Dash Rip Rock. This past year Tab hit the road for a major U.S. Tour, the Whiskey Bayou Revue, which featured Benoit and several of his label’s artists.