2022 BLUES MUSIC AWARD WINNER B.B. King Entertainer of the Year - Tommy Castro (won previously in 2010 and 2008) Album of the Year - Tommy Castro, Tommy Castro Presents A Bluesman Came to Town Band of the Year - Tommy Castro and The Painkillers “The hardest thing to do,” says internationally beloved soul-blues rocker Tommy Castro, “is be yourself, take some chances and bring your fans along with you.” Throughout his long, constantly evolving career, guitarist, singer and songwriter Tommy Castro has always remained true to himself while exploring, growing and creating new music, and he has taken his thousands of devoted fans right along with him.

Since his solo debut in 1994, he’s made 16 albums—the last seven for Alligator—each its own unique chapter in the book of Tommy Castro. Ranging from horn-fueled R&B to piping hot blues to fiery, stripped-down rock ‘n’ roll, each release is solidly built upon Castro’s unshakable musical foundation—a dynamic mix of 1960s-influenced guitar-fueled blues, testifying Memphis-soaked blue-eyed soul and Latin-tinged East San Jose funk, all driven by Castro’s grab-you-by-the-collar vocals and passionate guitar work. Blues Revue declared, “Tommy Castro can do no wrong.”

Ben Rice's music is deeply rooted in traditional blues, yet at the same time fiercely original. Spinning nuances of Americana, Jazz, and Country on his resophonic guitar. "It's a big umbrella but I promised myself to play the music I write and let it tell me where to go rather than try to hold true to an arbitrary box or label." His guitar playing earns labels like "fearless," "inventive" and "powerful," and he routinely brings audiences to their feet with his stunning and emotionally honest vocal delivery.