Jeff Chaz

Biography

Jeff Chaz is an American blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter widely known in New Orleans as the “Bourbon Street Bluesman.” Born in Lake Charles and raised in the tiny community of Creole in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, he grew up in a household filled with his father’s big‑band and Dixieland records, including Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Louis Armstrong, and Jack Teagarden.[1][4][5] As a child he first performed at age five, doing an Elvis Presley impersonation with a plastic guitar at school, and in grade school he aspired to be a jazz trombonist before switching to trumpet and later returning to trombone in high school bands.[1][2][3] His family moved to California during his school years, where he played in orchestra but spent most of his time gigging at Latin and soul weddings and dances, setting the stage for a life as a working musician.[2][3]

After high school, Chaz hit the road on trombone with a Black Boston soul band that toured the United States, and when the group’s guitarist‑singer quit, he was pushed to the front as vocalist and coached until he sounded like a Memphis soul singer.[2][3] Still searching for his niche, he went back to California, returned to guitar, and studied music at San Bernardino College; attempts to play country music convinced him that his true voice lay in the blues, leading him to commit fully to blues guitar.[1][2] Seeking to learn from the source, he moved to Memphis for about a decade, playing in small Black blues clubs, singing gospel, and performing “Amazing Grace” at the opening of the National Civil Rights Museum; there he won the first Beale Street Blues Award and performed with or toured alongside legends such as Albert King, Little Milton, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Cab Calloway.[1][2][4] In 1996 he relocated to New Orleans at the encouragement of music attorney Ellis Pailet, quickly became a star attraction on Bourbon Street after club owner John Wehner “made a spot” for him, and built a powerful live reputation that led to recordings such as Sounds Like the Blues to Me and This Silence Is Killing Me, showcasing his fusion of Memphis blues and soul with horn‑driven arrangements and big‑band‑influenced guitar phrasing.[1][2][5][7]

Chaz’s musical style is steeped in Southern blues and soul but colored by his big‑band and jazz upbringing: he often describes his sound as Memphis blues and soul combined, strongly influenced by classic Stax Records and artists like B.B. King, Albert King, and Little Milton.[1][5] His early trombone heroes, notably Tommy Dorsey and Jack Teagarden, shaped his phrasing, leading him to play guitar lines that he likens to horn improvisations, with a blues feeling but non‑typical blues guitar contours.[1] This blend of horn‑like melodic sense, gritty vocal delivery molded in soul bands, and a deep grounding in Louisiana and Memphis traditions has made him a distinctive figure on the New Orleans scene, where, even after his Bourbon Street heyday, he continues to perform regularly and to have his music broadcast on outlets such as SiriusXM Bluesville and radio stations worldwide.[4][5][6]

Fun Facts

• Chaz’s first public performance came at about age five, when he did an Elvis Presley impression with a plastic guitar at school; his teacher was so impressed that she took him from classroom to classroom to perform his “Elvis thing.”[2][3]
• Although best known as a guitarist, Chaz originally focused on trombone and trumpet, playing first‑chair trumpet in junior high and later gigging on trombone in Latin and soul wedding bands before fully committing to guitar and blues.[1][2][3]
• He once tried to make it as a country guitarist but described the style as being “like Chinese” to him and one of the biggest musical challenges he had ever faced, a struggle that helped push him decisively toward blues guitar.[1][2]
• Chaz sang “Amazing Grace” at the opening of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis and won the very first Beale Street Blues Award, underscoring how deeply he was embraced by the city’s blues community.[1][2]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Tommy Dorsey - Big‑band trombonist whose tone and technique inspired Chaz’s earliest ambition to play jazz trombone and later shaped his horn‑like guitar phrasing. (General influence from Dorsey’s big‑band recordings heard via his father’s record collection.) [Childhood and early teens (grade school through junior high).]
• Jack Teagarden - New Orleans‑associated trombonist whose soulful, powerful playing Chaz cites as a formative idol and stylistic model. (Influence from Teagarden’s jazz and Dixieland recordings that Chaz’s father played at home.) [Childhood and early teens.]
• B.B. King - Major blues influence; Chaz notes that much of his style, like B.B. King’s early work, is shaped by big‑band music and Southern blues. (Early B.B. King recordings and broader Stax/Southern blues catalogue as stylistic templates.) [Primarily from his Memphis years onward.]
• Albert King - Southern blues guitar and vocal influence; Chaz performed and toured with him and cites him among key Memphis‑connected inspirations. (Live performances and tours with Albert King during Chaz’s Memphis period.) [During his roughly ten years in Memphis.]
• Little Milton - Memphis‑based blues and soul artist whose work influenced Chaz’s Memphis blues‑and‑soul blend. (Live work together in Memphis clubs, cited as part of Chaz’s blues education.) [Memphis residency (approximately ten‑year period).]

Key Collaborators

• Albert King - Blues legend with whom Chaz performed and toured while living in Memphis, gaining on‑the‑road experience and visibility. (Live tours and performances; cited generally rather than on specific album credits.) [Memphis period, before his move to New Orleans (circa 1980s–early 1990s).]
• Jerry Lee Lewis - Rock and roll and rockabilly pioneer with whom Chaz toured, expanding his audience and stylistic range. (Touring engagements and live performances mentioned in biographical notes.) [During and around his Memphis years.]
• Cab Calloway - Big‑band and jazz singer‑bandleader with whom Chaz is reported to have performed, connecting him directly to swing‑era traditions. (Live shows; referenced as a performance credit in his biographies.) [Likely during his broader U.S. touring years after moving from California.]
• Doug Belote - Drummer and core band member for Chaz’s New Orleans group, contributing to his soul‑ and jazz‑inflected blues sound. (Live performances on Bourbon Street and recordings including sessions around This Silence Is Killing Me.) [From the mid‑1990s New Orleans period onward.]
• Doug Therrien - Bassist in Chaz’s core band, a veteran of soul, jazz, and blues who anchored the rhythm section in New Orleans. (New Orleans live work and recording sessions with Chaz’s band.) [From the mid‑1990s New Orleans era onward.]
• A.J. Pittman - Horn arranger for Chaz, bringing deep knowledge of soul and jazz horn writing to his recordings. (Horn arrangements for various tracks, notably the bridge section of Chaz’s song “Merry Christmas To You.”) [New Orleans recording period, including the era surrounding his Christmas and blues releases.]
• Ellis Pailet (Ellis Paillet) - New Orleans music attorney and promoter who encouraged Chaz to move to New Orleans and helped connect him with key local industry figures. (Behind‑the‑scenes collaboration in organizing projects and facilitating his Bourbon Street engagement.) [Mid‑1990s, around Chaz’s relocation to New Orleans.]
• John Wehner - Owner of Bourbon Street’s Famous Door who auditioned Chaz, created a performance slot for him, and helped shape his New Orleans band. (Development of Chaz’s Bourbon Street band that built his reputation as the “Bourbon Street Bluesman.”) [From 1996, early New Orleans years.]

Artists Influenced

• [[|]] - No specific artists, students, or protégés are clearly documented in available sources as being directly and personally influenced by Jeff Chaz.

External Links

• Spotify