Carl Weathersby – born in Jackson, Mississippi on February 24, 1953 – was a W.C. Handy Award-nominated blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Growing up in Meadville, Mississippi and East Chicago, Indiana, he taught himself to play guitar. He was discovered at an early age by family friend Albert King. Success was not immediately forthcoming, so he had to work full-time before serving in the US Army throughout most of the 1970s. After leaving the Army, he joined Albert King’s touring band in 1979 and would do short tours over the next two years. He then joined The Sons of the Blues, replacing guitarist Carlos Johnson, and played with the band for 15 years. Leaving the group in 1995, he released his debut solo album, Don’t Lay Your Blues on Me, the following year. That debut was followed by releases including Looking Out My Window (1997), Restless Feeling (1998), Come to Papa (2000), Best of Carl Weathersby (2003), Hold on Louisiana (2005), and Live at Rosa’s Lounge (2019). He also collaborated with other blues musicians on their projects including Billy Branch, Mississippi Heat, Trudy Lynn, Charles Wilson, Nora Jean Bruso, Biscuit Miller, Bernard Miller, Larry McCray, and John Primer. Carl Weathersby died on August 9, 2024, at the age of 71.
