I have witnessed the past, present, and future of the blues and its name is D.K. Harrell. It sounds hyperbolic, but after seeing his recent performance at the New York State Blues Festival in Syracuse and repeated listening of his latest album Talkin’ Heavy, it’s the only reasonable assessment. He feels both familiar and revolutionary.
Harrell is a 27-year-old phenom from Louisiana who resembles B.B. King is so many ways it’s eerie. The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Mississippi has fully embraced Harrell and utilized him for many major events in the last four years. His singing, guitar playing, bandleading, songwriting, gentlemanly manner and tuxedo attire, and stage presence all echoes King; and he doesn’t duck the comparison. “If people compare you to the greatest or someone who is great or one of the greats, I feel that’s more of a compliment than an insult or a bad thing,” Harrell said, “As for B.B., he could hit your soul with just two notes and that’s all he needed and that’s a hard thing to do. At the end of the day, I have nothing but pure love and respect for B.B. I see what I have as a blessing, not a curse.”
The June 12 Syracuse show was a performance by Harrell’s side project, The Three Kings, which also features veteran blues guitar stars Chris Cain and Albert Castiglia and Harrell’s road band. They tore through almost two hours of traditional tunes primarily associated with B.B., Albert, and Freddie King. While everyone was stirring and enjoyable, the young buck was clearly the star of the show. He was deferential to his bandmates, but when it came time to shine, the crowd ate up all the soul food he was dishing out. The emotional highpoint came near the end when Harrell told a story of his homelessness only three years ago and broke down in tears while playing B.B.’s “Six Silver Strings”. “At the time, I feel like all I had was my guitar,” Harrell explained, “I’m happy I overcame it, I’m in a better position.” It’s incomprehensible that a generational talent was so unknown and couldn’t pay his rent so recently.
His strong first album for Little Village in 2023, The Right Man, was the warning shot. This new album (his first for legendary blues label Alligator Records) takes the next step. It runs the gamut of blues styles, tempos, and themes. The groovy music sounds like it could have been recorded any time in the last 60 years, but every once in a while, the modern vernacular of a young man in 2025 sneaks in there. The record will make every top 10 blues list this year. The hottest blues producer in the business, Norwegian polymath Christoffer “Kid” Anderson, has his fingerprints all over it. Side A has hit single-worthy tracks like “A Little Taste” and “Grown Now”, the cute, disco throwback “PTLD”, and the heartfelt pronouncement “Good Man”, that legendary keyboardist Jim Pugh wrote about his young friend. Side B is just as compelling. You get the bawdy, bad boy blues of “Vibe With Me” and “Liquor Stores and Legs” interspersed with a sad kiss-off song like “No Thanks To You” and “Praise These Blues” which is a classic gospel rave that tries to square the old contradiction of partying on Saturday night and asking for forgiveness on Sunday morning.
“Some say the blues is the Devil’s music, but I don’t believe that it’s true.
‘Cause it will lift your spirits and feed your soul just like the gospel and the Lord can do.
I love the church and I love the juke joint and you can’t make me choose.
So get up everybody and praise these blues.”
On top of all the great songs and electric performance skills, Harrell is a gracious, grateful person. He’s easy to root for and be around. He embraces and embodies the history of the blues. He wants to be an ambassador for this art form and take it around the world like his idol did. He gives you hope that the blues can survive and even thrive.
Talkin’ Heavy was released on June 20 and Harrell will perform at Iridium in New York on August 18. Run, don’t walk.
Watch the entire interview below:
D.K. Harrell “Grown Now”:
D.K. Harrell “Six Silver Strings” live in Syracuse, 6/12/25:
The Three Kings, feat. D.K. Harrell, Chris Cain, and Albert Castiglia – live in Syracuse, 6/12/25:
D.K. Harrell “I Just Want To Make Love To You”:
