Biography
Al Basile is an American blues and roots singer-songwriter, cornetist, poet, and playwright, known for his literate songwriting and elegant, jazz-inflected approach to modern blues. Born and raised in Haverhill, Massachusetts, he grew up in a park in that mill town north of Boston, the son of first‑generation Italian American parents.[7][10] He attended Phillips Academy Andover, graduating in 1966, and went on to Brown University, where in 1970 he became the first person to receive a master’s degree from Brown’s Writing Program, marking him early on as a serious craftsman of language as well as music.[1][7][8][9] Alongside his academic and literary work, he developed a deep love of blues, jazz, and gospel music that would become the foundation of his musical voice.[6]
Basile’s professional performing career began in 1973 when guitarist Duke Robillard hired him as the first trumpet player for the Rhode Island jump-blues band Roomful of Blues, placing him squarely in the center of the New England blues renaissance.[2][4] After leaving the band, he remained a close associate of Robillard and, beginning in 1990, became a songwriter and recording member of the Duke Robillard Band, appearing on a dozen CDs and a DVD while having his songs recorded by artists such as Ruth Brown and used in film and television.[1][3][8] Starting in 1998 he launched a prolific solo career under his own name, releasing a long series of blues and roots albums—eighteen by the mid‑2020s, most of which reached the Top 15 on the Living Blues airplay charts—almost all produced by Robillard and featuring many former Roomful of Blues members as well as guests like the Blind Boys of Alabama.[1][8] His work has earned multiple Blues Music Award nominations and established him as a distinctive voice in contemporary blues, blending narrative songwriting, horn-led arrangements, and a literate, often mid‑century‑flavored perspective on American life.[1][6][7]
Parallel to his musical output, Basile has built a substantial literary career, publishing several books of poetry and writing verse audio plays, including “Flash Blind,” which won a Silver Award at the HEARnow national audio drama festival in 2019.[1] He is a member of the Powow River Poets and has taught and lectured on song lyric writing at venues such as the West Chester Poetry Conference and Boston University, extending his influence to a younger generation of writers and songwriters.[1][3] Hosting the online program “Poems On,” he curates conversations among poets about their work and inspirations, underscoring the continuity between his blues storytelling, his theatrical projects, and his commitment to language. Taken together, his contributions as a musician, writer, and educator have given him a lasting, if understated, legacy as a multi‑disciplinary artist who bridges classic blues traditions with contemporary literary craft.[1][7][8]
Fun Facts
- Al Basile was the first person ever to receive a master’s degree from Brown University’s Writing Program, underscoring that he was formally recognized as a writer before he became widely known as a blues musician.[1][7][8][9]
- He grew up literally “in a park” in Haverhill, Massachusetts, a setting he has revisited in poems and public readings about his family and early life.[1][7][10]
- Basile is not only a musician but also an award‑winning audio dramatist: his verse audio play “Flash Blind” received a Silver Award at the HEARnow national audio drama festival in 2019.[1]
- Many of his solo albums are produced by his long‑time associate Duke Robillard and consistently chart in the Top 15 of the Living Blues airplay charts, giving him a strong reputation among blues DJs even while remaining relatively under the mainstream radar.[1][8]
Musical Connections
Mentors/Influences
- Duke Robillard - Bandleader who hired Basile in 1973 for Roomful of Blues and later produced nearly all of his solo albums, providing musical guidance and a stylistic framework grounded in jump blues and classic electric blues. (Work with Roomful of Blues; long‑term collaboration on Al Basile’s solo albums on Sweetspot Records; membership in the Duke Robillard Band.) [1973 onward, with intensive collaboration from 1990s–2020s[1][2][4][8]]
Key Collaborators
- Roomful of Blues - Rhode Island jump-blues band where Basile began his performing career as the first trumpet player, touring and recording in the band’s horn‑driven ensemble setting. (Live and recorded work with Roomful of Blues in the 1970s (specific album credits vary by release).) [Early–mid 1970s[2][4][7][8]]
- Duke Robillard Band - Basile serves as songwriter and recording member, contributing cornet, vocals, and compositions on multiple albums and a DVD. (Twelve CDs and one DVD with the Duke Robillard Band (titles span Robillard’s catalog from the 1990s onward).) [1990 onward[1][3][8]]
- Blind Boys of Alabama - Guest artists featured on Basile’s solo recordings, adding gospel vocal textures to his blues and roots arrangements. (Guest appearances on selected Al Basile solo albums (exact titles noted in his album credits).) [2000s–2010s[1]]
- Former Roomful of Blues members - Frequent session players on Basile’s solo albums, helping to carry over the horn‑driven jump-blues sound into his own projects. (Multiple Al Basile solo albums produced by Duke Robillard on Sweetspot Records.) [Late 1990s–2020s[1][8]]
Artists Influenced
- Emerging poets and songwriters (various) - Students and participants exposed to Basile’s teaching on lyric writing and poetry at conferences and universities, where he shares techniques drawn from his dual careers in music and literature. (Workshops and lectures at the West Chester Poetry Conference and Boston University; ongoing influence through his show “Poems On.”) [2000s–2020s[1][3]]
Connection Network
Discography
Albums
| Title | Release Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Blues in Hand | 2025-10-09 | Album |
| Groovin' in the Mood Room | 2006-01-01 | Album |
| B's Hot House | 2019-09-20 | Album |
| The Tinge | 2007-01-01 | Album |
| B's Time | 2023-09-29 | Album |
| Through with Cool | 2022-08-19 | Album |
| B's Testimony | 2021-09-17 | Album |
| B's Testimony | 2021-09-17 | Album |
| Last Hand 2.0 | 2020-08-21 | Album |
| Last Hand | 2020-08-21 | Album |
| Last Hand | 2020-08-21 | Album |
| B's Hot House | 2019-09-20 | Album |
| Me & The Originator | 2018-06-15 | Album |
| Me & The Originator | 2018-06-15 | Album |
| Quiet Money | 2017-09-15 | Album |
Top Tracks
- I Got to be the Boss (Groovin' in the Mood Room)
- So-Called Storyteller (B's Hot House)
- St. James Infirmary
- Take My Word For It (Groovin' in the Mood Room)
- What Your Kisses Say
- All Your Lies (Blues in Hand)
- Give Me That Look (B's Hot House)
- While We're Dancing (The Tinge)
- The Show Must Go On (Groovin' in the Mood Room)
- Hooray For Me (And to Hell With You)
External Links
References
Heard on WWOZ
Al Basile has been played 1 time on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.
| Date | Time | Title | Show | Spotify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 10, 2025 | 15:40 | Blues Is My Roommatefrom Blues In Hand | Sittin' at the Crossroadw/ Big D |