THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Kevin “Sonny” Gullage was born with what you might call ‘blues wisdom,’ a mixture of empathy, sensitivity, and keen observational skills. The first song the New Orleans artist wrote as a 12 year old was about the BP oil spill, and its devastating environmental and economic effects. Put simply, Sonny has always been an old soul.
Now, the blues singer-songwriter and keyboardist is 25 years old and releasing his debut album Go Be Free on the legendary blues label Blind Pig. The uplifting and purposeful 12-song collection is produced by four-time Grammy winner (and nine-time nominee) Tom Hambridge (Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Susan Tedeschi, Delbert McClinton), and it features an incendiary cameo by guitarist Christone “Kingfish” Ingram.
“It was almost a revelation when I discovered I could sing the blues,” Gullage shares. “It just flowed out of me — and I realized that’s how I wanted to connect with people. When I sing, I don’t sing for people to understand me, I sing for people to understand themselves.”
Both the culmination of a life in music and the start of a promising career as a gifted singer-songwriter and instrumentalist, Go Be Free opens with its title track, driven by the kind of stomping beat you’d hear in a Southern church. The song swells with a euphoric feeling that’s equal parts gospel salvation and blues-based self-realization.
The tender R&B ballad Separate Ways smolders with tasty blues guitar licks, emotive pop hooks, and lovelorn lyrics. The jazzy, pop-infused Worried About The Young is a socially conscious modern blues tune addressing the economic hardships plaguing Sonny’s generation. Riding shotgun on the track is Kingfish, who squeezes out stinging blues licks before digging in with a lyrical but fiery solo. “When we finished the track, I remember Tom saying people don’t have to worry about the blues with us young guys around,” Sonny says laughing. To that end, he explores traditional Chicago blues on Blues All Over You, smoldering minor blues on Tattooed Wings and dirty, Delta blues on Hot House. He also shares the hard-earned wisdom of his grandfather on the reflective, R&B-flavored ballad I’ve Been There.
It was inevitable Sonny would be a musician. His father is bassist Tony Gullage, who has performed with Henry Butler, Dr. John and other prominent blues and roots musicians around New Orleans. Sonny’s grandmother, Sister Alberta Gullage, released gospel records for the Wajo label in the mid-1960s. In addition, Sonny’s family surname was originally Ledbetter, and he is believed to be a relative of seminal folk-blues legend and Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter.
Sonny earned his bones as a blues musician while performing as an artist in residence at B.B. King’s Blues Club in New Orleans. When the club shut its doors during the pandemic, and all gigging stopped, he tried out for American Idol at his dad’s urging, and advanced to the Showstoppers round. From there, Sonny embarked on a robust touring schedule overseas.
He has since captivated live audiences in the U.S., Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Germany, Slovenia, and Croatia. He’s composed music for film and podcasts, and his voice was also featured in the 2019 release of Lady & The Tramp. Sonny’s diverse and accomplished musicality has also earned him guest spots performing alongside jazz icon Bobby Watson and jam legends Blues Traveler. In addition to his music career accomplishments, Sonny has made cameos in movies including The Last Laugh and Burning Cane.”
