Meet Cannonball Red | Blues artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cannonball Red and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cannonball Red, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I’m from a place called Douglasville GA. 2 counties over from the Alabama line. I was exposed to a diverse range of music, a large part of it was gospel music. However I landed in the blues.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I was born with the love of music, at 4 I began classical piano lessons and the sounds of gospel captivated me every week. Concert pieces and jazz music filled my days throughout my schooling being in band. Out of all the genres I’ve played and have been exposed to, the Blues has been my calling. By the time I got to college I played several instruments but none of which were the 6 string guitar. I finally taught myself to play in 2016 and I haven’t looked back.
In 2020 I made some friends in the Blues community and began gigging around Atlanta as a 3 piece band under the name The Revival featuring Cannonball Red. Some momentum began to build and after some personnel changes we began to hit the stage as Cannonball Red & The ahead Hunters, named after Muddy Waters’ initially group of players. I eventually joined the Atlanta Blues Society and with their help I began to see a boost in the calls requesting me to come bless the stage.
Currently we just finished a tour around Georgia to build up our fanbase. The tour concluded in LaGrange, GA at Pure Life House of Music for their first installment their Blues Series. Although this was the last a stop on the tour schedule I was not with the band. It was myself, Jay Hopp and Skyler Saufley. Both of these guys are phenomenal talents and I am always honored to share the stage with these gentlemen.
One of the most important things I’ve learned is the combination of dedication, persistence and passion it’s what will keep the drive even on the days where it feels like nothing is happening. I don’t want an overnight success I want longevity in my career as a musician and more importantly in my role carrying the torch of the a Blues keeping the history and legacy alive in a world where the very foundation of all popular music is often overlooked.
As this year goes on I have a project I’m working on and that will be available soon. I can’t speak too much on it right now but keep your ear to the ground, it’ll be here before you know it.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend came to town, I would take them to one of my favorite places to hear live music which could be Blind Willies, blues club, northside Tavern or we could take a trip down to Lagrange and hit up a show at Pure Life House of Music. If we don’t do live music, we could always hit up one of the popular spots around Atlanta for some good food and drinks. You can often find me trying out new places around the city. There’s lots to choose from so anytime I want to go I just pick one and head out.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to shoutout my band, The Head Hunters, those guys have been dedicated and given their best when we play and have been for a few years now and I want them to know how much I appreciate them.

Website: CannonballRed.com

Instagram: CannonballRed_

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100087282260185&mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
Pic 1: Shannon Belleti Pic 2: Shannon Belleti Pic 3: unknown Pic 4: Ki Ren Red Pic 5: Lexi Coar