Chris Duarte

Austin blues guitar slinger Chris Duarte hit big with his 1994 sophomore album Texas Sugar Strat Magik, moving over 100,000 copies. He won Guitar Player’s “Best New Talent” and placed fourth in “Best Blues Guitarist,” behind Clapton, Buddy Guy and B.B. King.

He rose to prominence in Austin’s 1990s roots scene in Stevie Ray Vaughan’s wake, drawing comparisons to SRV for his muscular, jazz and rock-inflected playing. Duarte plays so hard his fingers bleed onstage, earning his sound the nickname “punk blues.”

His 2022 album Ain’t Giving Up reunites him with Strat Magik producer Dennis Herring for the first time in 22 years. Cut live on the studio floor with vintage gear and no overdubs, it’s Duarte’s rawest showcase yet for his Texas shuffle mastery. “I’m here, and I’m not giving up on blues or my career,” he says.

Jelly Ellington

North Carolina native Jonathan “Jelly” Ellington has called Texas home since 2011. He started on classical guitar at seven, switched to electric after discovering Led Zeppelin at fourteen, and built his sound in the Austin scene before going solo in 2016.

The Austin Chronicle named him a Top 10 “Best Guitarist” in 2018 and 2019. His band, rounded out by Alex Geismar, Stefan Ringer and Cole Gramling, blends Texas blues with Appalachian roots on their third album, Glow. “My mission with this project is to carry the torch of Rock and Roll,” Jelly says.