A hands-down favorite at the 2002 Thirsty Ear Festival, bluesman Eric Bibb is a leading figure of the acoustic blues revival of the early '90s. Along with his peers Corey Harris, Alvin Youngblood Hart, and Guy Davis, Bibb helped make up the core of young African-American musicians who embraced traditional forms while at the same time experimenting and creating unique hybrids. They pumped fresh life into what had become, in many ways, a tired and hopelessly co-opted genre. It helped that Bibb boasts one of the sweetest voices and best ears for melody in the business.

Nurturing musical influences from Africa, Europe, and the Mississippi Delta, the roots of Bibb's tasteful acoustic guitar playing can be traced to the blues-heavy musical recipes pioneered by Richie Havens and Taj Mahal. Bibb's artistic breakthrough came in 1996 at the London Blues Festival. "I performed on the same stage as Corey Harris and Keb Mo, and somehow there was this synchronicity thing involved," says Bibb. "It was really interesting that three African-American thumbpickers came together — there was this tribe of guys who were following in the footsteps that Taj Mahal had trailblazed. It was a sign for me, a new wave of acoustic blues played by African-Americans."

The son of 1960s folk and musical theatre singer Leon Bibb, Eric was born in New York in 1951. His uncle was the world-renowned jazz pianist John Lewis, of The Modern Jazz Quartet, and his godfather was singer-actor-activist Paul Robeson. Tapping a long history of musical influences, Bibb's latest release, Natural Light (Earthbeat Records), is a typical amalgam of folk, blues, country, R&B, and jazz that focuses on the deeply personal side of life.