Since his earliest infatuations with guitar, Buffalo Nichols—Fat Possum’s first solo blues signing in nearly 20 years—has asked himself the same question: How can I bring the blues of the past into the future? After cutting his teeth between a Baptist church and bars in Milwaukee, it was a globetrotting trip through West Africa and Europe during a creative down period that began to reveal the answer. “Part of my intent, making myself more comfortable with this release, is putting more Black stories into the genres of folk and blues,” guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist Carl “Buffalo” Nichols explains. “Listening to this record, I want more Black people to hear themselves in this music that is truly theirs.” That desire is embodied in his self-titled debut album, composed largely of demos and studio sessions recorded between Wisconsin and Texas.

Nichols’ debut, released in October 2021, has ascended him to the national stage, earning praise and support from NPR Music (‘Tiny Desk (Home) Concert;’ All Songs Considered ‘Best of October’) to Rolling Stone ('The Fight to Reclaim the Blues' feature; ‘Song You Need To Know’), Bandcamp Daily (‘October Shortlist’) to Guitar World, Texas Monthly to Uncut(UK), among many others. Now based in Austin, TX, Nichols has toured with artists including Drive-By Truckers and Houndmouth, in addition to his own headline shows, and performed at festivals including SXSW.

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Photo credit: Dustin Cohen