Sol Roots band performs a mix of New Orleans funk, raw blues, energetic rock, deep grooves, and southern soul. Sol Roots is an official Home Grown Music Network artist and a "Next Generation" Music Maker Relief Foundation artist.
Sol's talent stretches from fiery rock to laid back jazz, and from funky innovative grooves to soulful ballads, drawing on a deep background in raw down-home blues.
He began his musical experiences gigging with roots and blues luminaries such as Guitar Gabriel, Captain Luke, and Macavine Hayes. While earning a degree in the Recording Industry, Sol performed extensively throughout Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Mississippi fronting his own rock, blues, and funk bands.
Sol then graduated to performing nationally and internationally with true pioneers of the blues including Cootie Starks, Lee Gates (Albert Collins cousin), Atlanta's legendary Beverly “Guitar” Watkins, John Dee Holeman, and Jerry “Boogie” McCain (who wrote many hit songs including "Tuff Enuff"- later made famous by Jimmie Vaughan and the Fabulous Thunderbirds).
Additionally, Sol has performed on stage and in the studio with musical heavyweights Taj Mahal, Kenny Wayne Shepard, and with the international guitar hero Cool John Ferguson (nominated 2 years -Most Outstanding Guitarist-Living Blues), who he performed with steadily for years. With Cool John, Sol has opened for the great B.B. King, Derek Trucks Band, and other musical luminaries.
Sol's roots run deep into the blues but his unique versatility has allowed him to gig with Latin, African, reggae, gospel, jazz, R&B, and folk performers. Learning from funk, blues, and soul heroes such as Roy Lee Johnson, Albert White, and Robert Lee Coleman, Sol was inspired to bring ancient messages to the present. He created a buzz with his underground blues hiphop album entitled "Volume: Blue", that carried him overseas to perform these sets live.
Sol continued his musical voyage putting together his band featuring musicians that have worked with groups such as Tommy Castro, Hobex, Corey Harris, Deanna Bogart, Jah Works, Mike Zito, and Squirrel Nut Zippers and more. Sol & Funk Root have performed at a variety of premier festivals and venues across the East Coast US and have been on bills with groups including Soulive, Jon Cleary, Robert Randolph, Walter Wolfman Washington, The Wood Brothers, Jackie Greene, and Bettye Lavette.
With a love of Universal Music as the guiding light, Sol steps out on a path with a unique and talented band of musicians.
Sol is proud to have been on the Board of Directors of the Songwriters Association of Washington. SAW is a non-profit organization dedicated to the original music scene in Washington DC and through out the East Coast US. SAW sponsors the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, one of the longest running contests in the nation that focused on the best in new original music.
header photo credit: Josh Brick Graphics