Becky Barksdale

A rare performer in any day or age, Becky Barksdale embodies in one individual the vast Texas blues guitar tradition of a Freddie King, the flirtatious sensuality and assertive independence of a Bessie Smith and the raw passionate vocals of a Janis Joplin. Surprisingly, those conventions seem to have seeped into her pores rather than emanating from any specific source. My biggest influences were all of the other musicians I played with, she asserts.

While, like Joplin, Barksdale was born in Port Arthur, Texas, she is currently based out of Los Angeles where she is a favorite on the West Coast blues and R&B circuit.