Chris Thomas King

Born in 1962, guitarist Chris Thomas King became the last major folk blues discovery of the 20th Century when he was discovered in Louisiana in 1979 by a folklorist from the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C. He was introduced to the world by the venerable folk label Arhoolie Records as an authentic folk-blues successor to Huddie Ledbetter, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, and Jelly Roll Morton. 

King was chosen by the Coen brothers to play the role of itinerant bluesman Tommy Johnson alongside George Clooney in the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000).” Larger than life on the silver screen, Chris Thomas King, captivated audiences the world over. His authenticity as a folk-blues artist, by any measure, proved undeniable.