Marquise Knox

Rooted in the St. Louis blues tradition, Marquise Knox has developed a style that links Midwest electric blues to the older Delta forms, featuring a strong vocal presence and tempos that are often slow or medium. Born in 1991 in St. Louis, Missouri, Marquise Knox grew up in an environment where the blues repertoire circulated within his family and began performing at a very young age in the city’s clubs. He was mentored by older musicians on the local scene who introduced him to both guitar playing and the history of the genre, and he gradually expanded his activity to regional stages, tours across the United States and appearances at festivals in Europe. A singer, guitarist and songwriter, Marquise Knox writes compositions that rely on the classic structures of the blues while addressing themes rooted in everyday life and in the contemporary social realities of African‑American communities. His discography notably includes the album Manchild, released in 2008, followed by Here I Am in 2011 and Black and Blue in 2017, which mark different stages in the development of his writing and playing. Between covers drawn from the historic repertoire and original tracks, Marquise Knox therefore articulates an approach to the blues that remains faithful to its roots while reflecting his era.