AJ Ghent and his Singing Guitar create a musical sound that fuses blues, funk, rock and pop into a genre he likes to call "neo blues."
Ghent is descended from the creators of the sacred steel tradition (a musical style and African-American gospel tradition developed in Pentecostal churches in the 1930s.) But what is different about his style from most lap steel players is that Ghent performs standing upright, like a guitar player, using an over-handed technique to play slide so that he can dance and have more mobility during his live shows.
Hailing from Fort Pierce, Florida, music has run through his family for generations. Great-uncle Willie Eason was the creator of the sacred steel tradition, and his grandfather, Henry Nelson, founded the sacred steel rhythmic guitar style.
Around the age of 12, young Ghent got his hands on one of the first sacred steel CDs, with his father, grandfather and great-uncle playing on it.
If you go
› Where: Songbirds Guitar Museum. 35 Station St. (South), 41 Station St. (North)› For more information: 423-531-2473OVERLAND EXPRESS› When: 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2 (S)› Admission: $15AJ GHENT› When: 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3 (N)› Admission: $15 in advance $18 day of showTHE MALEMEN: A NIGHT OF MOTOWN› When: 9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3 (S)› Admission: $15ROCK 105 PRESENTS: DIRTY HONEY› When: 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 7 (S)› Admission: $10 in advance, $12 day of show
"At that point, I became interested in the instrument. I would listen to that thing until I broke it," he says on his website.
After high school, Ghent traveled to the West Palm Beach, Florida, area with his sister, Tiffany, to explore the city's range of genres from hip-hop to R&B, while playing in Top 40 bands.
After marrying, he moved to Atlanta where he took jobs as a sideman and in studio sessions. Ghent met Colonel Bruce Hampton, who mentored him. He was invited to play in Hampton's band, Pharaoh's Kitchen, which he did for about a year.
Ghent has played and opened for Zac Brown, The Allman Brothers Band, Derek Trucks and Gov't Mule. He can be heard on recordings with Zac Brown and is featured on Brown's 2013 Grohl "Sessions, Vol. 1" alongside Dave Grohl.
In 2015, he released a DVD/CD called "Live at Terminal West." In 2018, he released "The Neo Blues Project," which debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard Blues charts. His newest release, "AJ Ghent Presents: Let the Guitar Sing (Live at American Sushi)" is available on digital platforms.