Bringing five decades of blues to the Knoxville stage
The Tennessee Theatre | May 12th | 8 p.m.
Keb’ Mo’s sound caught my attention this winter when Tennessee Theatre announced he’d be coming to the Marble City on May 12. Every now and then I’ll connect quickly with a song, and I couldn’t get the smooth sound of his latest single, “Good to Be (Home Again)” out of my head. It has been a nonstop listen for weeks.
If you listen to the lyrics, the song is a celebration of the communities that make up the foundation of who we are. And while Keb didn’t grow up in Knoxville—he grew up in California, eventually calling Nashville his home—I couldn’t get Knoxville out of my mind as I listened.
“It’s good to be here. It’s good to be anywhere. It’s good to be back. It’s good to be home again,” Keb sings in the single. The song is an anthem for our true hometowns and the ones that have taken us in.
Keb—whose real name is Kevin Moore—is a blues artist with plenty of soul to go around. He got his start as a guitarist in his early 20s, but made a name for himself over the next few decades as both guitarist and songwriter. For years he worked somewhat behind the scenes, but that seemed to change in the mid-90s when he released his first self-titled album under the Keb’ Mo’ name.
Fast forward to today, and Keb’s sound just keeps getting better. And, judging by the number of Grammys and Blues Foundation awards he has, I’d say I’m not the only one who feels that way. His early music is just as smooth and enticing as his new, which makes his show at Tennessee Theatre in May a must-see. Tickets are still available for the show. You can head to tennesseetheatre.com to learn more. Perhaps we will see you there.