How does a 19-year-old from Vicksburg, Mississippi play his first Chicago gig and earn 165,000 Facebook views with 4,000 shares? If you’re Harrell “Young Rell” Davenport, who started playing harmonica and guitar at seven, you’re a rising star in the blues world.
A dexterous guitarist and fat-toned harmonica phenom, Young Rell is already a commanding vocalist and poetic songwriter. Whether accompanying himself on guitar while playing harmonica on a rack and singing, or alternating between instruments with an ensemble, he performs with the poise and charisma of a veteran performer. As a child, he navigated personal struggles by immersing himself in music born from oppression and hardship, finding solace in the blues.
His graceful social interaction and prolific online presence have created a global community of fans while landing him relationships with today’s greatest blues artists. He has been championed by Billy Branch, Kingfish Ingram, Bob Margolin and Bernard Allison. Young Rell has performed at Norway’s Notodden Blues Festival, King Biscuit Blues Festival, both of Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero Blues Clubs in Mississippi and Red’s Juke Joint in Clarksdale. He has been nominated twice by Blues Blast Magazine for the Sean Costello Rising Star Award and once by SPAH for the Bernie Bray Harmonica Player of The Year Award.
This multi-instrumentalist sings his songs with sincerity and without affectation, working stages with infectious energy that proves the future of blues is in excellent hands.
Mala Fe
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