Keb' Mo'

Born in Los Angeles in 1951, Keb' Mo', whose given name is Kevin Roosevelt Moore, forged a career rooted in the blues while remaining close to contemporary American songwriting. After beginnings in rhythm-and-blues groups and a stint as guitarist alongside violinist Papa John Creach in the 1970s, he recorded his first album under the name Kevin Moore, Rainmaker, in 1980 and adopted the Keb' Mo' alias in the mid-1990s. The album Keb’ Mo’ (1994) marked that shift by refreshing rural blues with a personal songwriting voice; it was followed by releases such as Just Like You (1996), Keep It Simple (2004), BLUESAmericana (2014), Oklahoma (2019) and Good To Be… (2022). Keb' Mo's guitar style blends acoustic fingerpicking, restrained electric tones and folk, country and soul influences, supporting songs built around everyday narratives, intimate relationships and understated social commentary. Operating where blues meets Americana, Keb' Mo' performs on festival stages across North America and Europe, collaborates widely—most notably with Taj Mahal on the joint album TajMo (2017)—and also occasionally contributes to musical theatre, television and film.