Tab Benoit - Blues Masters Live

Tab Benoit — Blues Masters Live

The unreleased Blues Masters at the Crossroads set!

Double LP 33 1/3 RPM

Recorded live at Blue Heaven Studios in October 2002!

Recording Engineers: David Baker and Katsuhiko Naito

Mastered by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab from the original analog master tapes

Direct-to-board gatefold jacket

When Tab Benoit stepped onto the Blue Heaven Studios stage in October 2002 for the fifth annual Blues Masters at the Crossroads, the room was already vibrating with anticipation. Benoit wasn't just a rising Louisiana bluesman at the time — he was a full-force phenomenon. With a full house brimming with excitement, ready for the fire and finesse that Benoit promised — what he delivered was nothing short of a Louisiana storm!

Born Nov. 17, 1967, Benoit grew up in Houma, Louisiana and began playing country and Cajun guitar at 9 years old. He found the blues as a teenager at the Blues Box, a ramshackle music club in nearby Baton Rouge run by guitarist Tabby Thomas. Benoit played guitar alongside Thomas, Raful Neal, Henry Gray and other high-profile regulars, learning from this cast of living blues legends.

This unreleased album captures Benoit at a pivotal moment in his career. Already acclaimed for his searing tone, soulful delivery and swamp-thick grooves, with something to prove — and proved it from the very first notes of "Muddy Bottom Blues." His guitar didn't just ring; it testified. "Her Mind Is Gone" followed with a razor-sharp sting, and by the time he tore into "Nice and Warm," the crowd was fully under his spell — every bend, every slide, every vocal phrase greeted with roars that filled the vaulted ceilings.

Benoit's appearance at Blues Masters came during his tour behind Wetlands (2002), the album that put him firmly on the national map. LP 1 Side B shows Benoit in complete command, shifting from the soulful uplift of "Let Love Take Control" to the raw, rhythmic thump of "Dog Hill."

That night, Chad Kassem packed the bill with a powerhouse lineup he called the "Louisiana Legends," featuring Lil' Bob, Warren Storm, Lazy Lester, Carol Fran, and Jerry "Boogie" McCain. For Benoit, it was a dream come true — a chance to share the stage with the very artists he grew up admiring in the bayou. The night hit its peak when a Legends crew stormed the stage with Benoit for a high-octane run through Lil' Bob & The Lollipops' party anthem "I Got Loaded," sending the crowd into a frenzy and sealing the moment as one for the books.

LP 2 dives even further into the heart of Benoit's Louisiana roots. "Louisiana Style" and "Crawfishin'" carry the unmistakable flavor of the bayou, dripping with authenticity and Benoit's effortless swagger. The "Mardi Gras Medley" is a feast of New Orleans spirit — horn lines implied by Benoit's guitar, rhythms lifted straight from Bourbon Street, and an audience clapping along like they'd been transported south for the night.

The finale — "Cherry Tree Blues" into "Bayou Boogie" — is pure heat. Benoit stretches out, letting his Telecaster snarl and sing as the crowd pushes him higher. It's the kind of performance that reminds fans why his solid guitar skills and Cajun-spiced vocal attack made him one of the most authentic voices in modern blues.

All of the night's action was captured in full pristine sound by the recording engineers — the late David Baker, the noted former chief engineer for Vanguard Records — and Katsuhiko Naito, leading New York City jazz recording engineer, and a chief engineer for Al Di Meola's Churchill Studios.

Capturing it all in glorious fashion, this 33 1/3 RPM 2LP will put you the center of the action. Mastered from the original analog tapes by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab, and pressed on flawless super-silent vinyl at Quality Record Pressings, you get a gatefold tip-on jacket by Stoughton Printing to house the records.

This live set is a snapshot of Tab Benoit at his finest. A packed house, a historic studio, and a bluesman at full power. For all fans of Louisiana blues and electric guitar mastery!

LP 1 Side A

1. Muddy Bottom Blues

2. Her Mind Is Gone

3. Nice And Warm

LP 1 Side B

1. Let Love Take Control

2. Dog Hill

3. I Got Loaded

LP 2 Side A

1. Louisiana Style

2. Crawfishin'

3. Mardi Gras Medley

LP 2 Side B

1. Cherry Tree Blues

2. Bayou Boogie

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