Artists:Grady Champion

Grady Champion is a young blues singer and harmonica player, born October 10, 1969, who has been compared to Sonny Boy Williamson. People can hear why on his Shanachie debut Payin' for My Sins, released August 24, 1999. The album includes a version of "Don't Start Me to Talkin'" that shows Grady's high-energy singing and harmonica playing, and an update of the traditional blues lament "Goin' Down Slow" with an AIDS parable -- a hard-bitten vignette of modern life. His revved-up, soulful vocalizing and the charm and insight he brings to his songwriting in numbers like the campy "My Rooster Is King" and the classic-sounding tale of infidelity "You Got Some Explaining to Do" (co-written by his producer Dennis Walker, who helped Robert Cray reach national fame) mark Grady as an important new talent.

Grady is a native of Canton, Mississippi and brings a unique style to the Blues. He started performing at the age of eight in the Church Choir where his love for music began. Through the years he has developed into not only a great singer and harmonica player, but also an innovative songwriter and producer.

In 1994, Grady won the McDonald's MusicFest with his performance of "Damn Right, I've Got the Blues" and brought the audience of 10,000 to their feet. He has had the pleasure of performing with Blues Greats Luther Allison, Lucky Peterson, and Junior Wells as well as "Clean-Up Woman" Betty Wright..