The Robert Cray Band to Perform at Hoyt Sherman Place on Saturday, March 3

Open ears and an open mind are the essence of singer, guitarist and songwriter Robert Cray’s approach to writing, recording and playing music. He has created a sound that rises from American roots and arrives today both fresh and familiar. In just over 40 years Cray and his band have recorded 20 studio releases, 15 of which have been on the Billboard charts, and played bars, concert halls, festivals and arenas around the world. There are five Grammys with Cray’s name on them, and he has a suitcase full of W.C. Handy blues awards. Four years ago Cray was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame.

It was the sounds of the blues and soul that first drew attention from artists in the rock arena. The Cray Band’s beginnings brought the sounds of its mentors into the mainstream, even taking the music of John Lee Hooker, Etta James and Albert Collins to a larger, younger audience. The live performances at recent concerts capture seasoned musicians bringing a vivid, illustrative past into the moment. Cray’s Stratocaster solos sing, cry and take on the funk and his voice has grown richer and wiser yet remains sweet. It is extraordinary for musicians to thrive over four decades, and the Robert Cray Band is just that, an extraordinary story of success.