WOMAD

Errol Linton

From United Kingdom

“I picked up a harp one day, started blowing on it and never stopped,” says Brixton-born blues man Errol Linton. “The harp led me to the blues, not the other way round.” Errol cut his teeth playing blues in smoky bars and clubs around the capital, and busking during the daytime in the London Underground. Oxford Circus was always a favourite station. With his Blues Vibe combo, Errol Linton has kept the legacy of Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson sounding raw, fresh and above all, British, in a strange offbeat way. Reggae lilts and licks are salient feature of Linton’s music. His two albums for Ruby Records, ‘Vibin’ It’ and ‘Roots Stew’ have become British blues milstones, regularly spun on the radio by Andy Kershaw, Charlie Gillett and Paul Jones. They have also given Linton a passport to the Europe-wide and international touring circuit, which means fewer days busking down the Underground. This year Errol will be performing an acoustic set in the intimate World on your Street tent, with harmonica, double bass and guitar.