Michael Coleman

Before becoming one of Chicago's hottest electric blues guitarists, Michael Coleman began his career playing alongside <a href="spotify:artist:6mY93oNfUaUwZq67yn3R8k">James Cotton</a> for nearly a decade. The guitarist joined <a href="spotify:artist:6mY93oNfUaUwZq67yn3R8k">Cotton</a>'s band in 1979 at the age of 23. For the next seven years, he remained by <a href="spotify:artist:6mY93oNfUaUwZq67yn3R8k">Cotton</a>'s side before eventually going on to work with <a href="spotify:artist:24k7DQG3asoxeOERUfa4JS">Eddy Clearwater</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6XItHNeKXecnFpkJHOn5JL">Syl Johnson</a>, among others. Later, Coleman embarked on a solo career. He recorded his American debut release, Do Your Thing!, for Delmark Records, who released the album in 2000. Do Your Thing! featured Coleman performing mostly covers -- <a href="spotify:artist:41ZMMuFFLPTVPkUsSI5KlV">Jimmy Reed</a>'s "You Don't Have to Go," <a href="spotify:artist:60df5JBRRPcnSpsIMxxwQm">Otis Redding</a>'s "Dock of the Bay," <a href="spotify:artist:3IKV7o6WPphDB7cCWXaG3E">Isaac Hayes</a>' "Do Your Thing," Robert Geddins' "Tin Pan Alley," and more -- along with a couple of Coleman's own compositions. In addition to playing guitar on the album, Coleman also sang. The result was an album very much his own, a testament to his talents and abilities as a blues guitarist of the highest order. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi