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Brother Yusef has been described as a master solo
guitarist, as well as a uniquely passionate vocalist. He remembers first
hearing the call of the Blues as a young a child attending church with
this grandparents in Bakersfield, CA. The raw and intense emotions in
church left a lasting impression which he carried with him into other
music genres. At age 19 Brother Yusef picked up a guitar and began
experimenting with reggae, r&b and jazz. He found himself at a musical
crossroads in 1989 when he went to the Bakersfield church of his
childhood, to pay this last respects at his grandfather's funeral. A
soloist there began picking out a soothing church hymn on guitar,
connecting Yusef to his grandfather, elders and ancestors in the rich
tradition of the blues. Brother Yusef has gained recognition from audiences
and musicians throughout the Los Angeles and Orange County area for his
range of sounds and emotions -sadness, joy, anger and laughter. He keeps
"one foot in the past and one in the present", by combining "traditional"
finger picking and slide guitar playing with the contemporary feel of
urban blues. Audiences love the full sound of his solo performances (he
uses his right hand thumb to beat out a percussive bass-line and shuffle,
while the index finger plays rhythm and lead lines); and musicians
nicknamed him "Fatback" or "Fatt-Back Bluesman", for his intense playing
and vocal style. Since December 2001, Brother Yusef has been a regular performer at Downtown Disney, located at the Disneyland resort in Anaheim California.
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