Tab Benoit is a four-time Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and guitarist who, for more than thirty years, has built a remarkable career on the foundation of his gritty and soulful Delta swamp blues. He has acquired a devoted legion of fans along the way, as well as five Blues Music Awards, including BB King Entertainer of the Year (twice) and an induction into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Tab's accomplishments as a musician are matched only by his devotion to the environmental health of his native Louisiana Wetlands. Benoit is the founder and driving force behind Voice of the Wetlands, an organization working to preserve the coastal waters of his home state. In 2010, he received the Governor's Award for Conservationist of the Year from the Louisiana Wildlife Federation. Benoit has also starred in the iMax motion picture Hurricane on the Bayou, a documentary narrated by Meryl Streep on Hurricane Katrina's effects, with a call to protect and restore the wetlands.
Benoit has recorded and/or performed with Junior Wells, George Porter Jr, Dr. John, Willie Nelson, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Billy Joe Shaver, Maria Muldaur, James Cotton, Cyril Neville, Kenny Aronoff, Allen Toussaint, Kim Wilson, Jimmy Thackery, Charlie Musslewhite, Kenny Neal, Chris Layton, Ivan Neville, Jimmy Hall, Jim Lauderdale, Anders Osborne, and Alvin Youngblood Hart to name a few.
Sgt. Splendor
Before joining forces, the duo behind Sgt. Splendor were already formidable solo artists, Kate Vargas chalking up acclaim at outlets like NPR, HuffPost, SPIN, No Depression Rolling Stone and Vice (including praise from the “Dean of American Rock Critics” Robert Christgau); and Eric McFadden amassing an impressive resume including stints on guitar with George Clinton & the P-Funk All Stars, Anders Osbourne, Fishbone’s Angelo Moore, and Eric Burdon & The Animals, plus a slew of solo albums, and session work and gigs with everyone from Jackson Browne to The Clash’s Joe Strummer.
Sgt Splendor’s 2nd release, “Death of the Hoochie Koo” dropped May 19th on Buena Vista West Records.
“Tom Waits’ music has always been a point of connection for me & Kate. While our musical approaches differ, they’re also kindred and share a lot of common elements. Our Southwestern upbringing comes through—that sort of mysteriouso desert thing—but also a carnivalesque Waits-ian vibe. The new record is a bit more cohesive but still eclectic. Kind of an Alt-Funk, Desert Roots, Dirty Blues, Rock thing. Our styles have always been complementary.” Vargas concurs: “Sgt. Splendor really feels like a combination of both of us—equally.”
Among the players who have accompanied Sgt Splendor in the studio and on stage are: Dave Schools (Widespread Panic), Norwood Fisher & Angelo Moore (Fishbone), Dominic Davis (Jack White), Paulo Baldi (Les Claypool), Falcon Greenwell (Tedeschi Trucks), Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads)
