Like the coal firing a steam engine Erib Bibb delivers a scorching performance in the video for ‘Ridin’’. Building from a slow simmer to a full flame he retells the struggle of the Civil Right movement, “Thinkin’ about Emmett Till…”. This is the title track for Bibb’s fourth full-length album on Repute Records. The album was produced by Glen Scott and features Habib Koite, Taj Mahal, Steve Jordan, Tommy Sims, Harrison Kennedy, Russell Malone, Jontavious Willis as well as a host of brilliant session musicians and singers from around the globe. ‘Ridin’’ is a concept album draws inspiration from the oil painting A Ride For Liberty (1862) by Eastman Johnson, which depicts an African American family fleeing enslavement in the southern USA during the American Civil War. The album’s themes of struggle, liberation, and perseverance and Bibb’s captivating storytelling prove once again that the blues are a powerful tool for social commentary.
Comments Bibb; “Ridin’ is the title song from my new album, inspired by the brave Freedom Riders who traveled from northern cities to the Deep South, risking their lives, helping African American citizens register to vote. Another source of inspiration was a painting from 1862, A Ride For Liberty, by Eastman Johnson, depicting an African American family escaping slavery on horseback. We’re still riding…”
Eric Bibb will be on tour in the UK in May 2023.
