Brett Littlefair - Footstompin' (2021)

Brett is an Australian bluesman based in Adelaide, SA. While he has always been in love with the blues, Brett spent many years playing guitar and singing in cover bands, playing late ’60s and early ’70s classics by such artists as CCR, The Stones, and JJ Cale. He recorded a solo album “Black Hole Town” in 2016, an album with roots more in folk music than blues. But his musical career took a right turn in late 2018, when his wife and daughter surprised him on Christmas with his first cigar box guitar (CBG). Brett played it all Christmas day, until his fingers bled. It was an epiphany – Brett knew that he had found his true musical love, and that CBGs would be the cornerstone of his music from that point on. Over the next year, he compiled original blues material (and acquired more CBGs from wherever he could get them). By early 2019, he and his lifelong friend, Dale Williams (bass guitar), along with drummer Nick Randles, were working on the “Red Devil Lye” album, the first from Brett Littlefair & Devil’s Bend. They were also anxious to start playing gigs and festivals to promote Red Devil Lye. They got an incredible response to that first performance, but then a certain global pandemic shut down the entire industry after just one show.

Brett wasn’t deterred… he decided his music was too exciting not to share, so he put his music online. His “Where’ve You Been” video has been viewed by over 2 million people. Encouraged by the response, Brett began running livestream events, first once a week, then adding a session to satisfy what was quickly becoming a global audience.

Today, Brett plays both solo shows (often adding some harmonica and percussion), as well as shows with Devil’s Bend (Dale Williams on bass, Jimmy James on drums). His very dedicated and globally dispersed on-line group of fans, collectively known as The Clangang, still tune in every week for his “foot stompin’, toe-tappin’ boogie” originals, as well as covers of the blues masters who have most influenced him, like Mississippi Fred McDowell, John Lee Hooker, and RL Burnside.

Brett and Devil’s Bend are currently wrapping up work on the Foot Stompin’ album, a collection of great original tunes that will keep your feet stompin’ well into the future. Plans are also in the works for a solo album in the new year.