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Austin-based guitarist, songwriter and singer Chris Duarte is such a promising young upstart in the world of modern blues that he has been favorably compared to the late Stevie Ray Vaughan. It's heady stuff for the musician, who plays a powerful rhythmic style of Texas rock-blues that is at times reminiscent of Vaughan's sound, and at other times more reminiscent of Johnny Winter. The truth is, Duarte has his own style that draws on elements of jazz, blues and rock & roll. Although he is humbled by the comparisons with the late Vaughan, the San Antonio-raised musician has his own distinct sound. His live performances showcase a brilliant display of hard driving, bone-shaking guitar. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas (February 16, 1963), Duarte picked up the guitar at a early age and began playing in local clubs when he was 15 years old. At 16 he left home and moved to Austin and began taking his guitar playing much more seriously. At that time, a young Stevie Ray Vaughan was still around playing in Austin-area clubs. Duarte was one of those lucky few thousand who got to see Vaughan at the Continental Club before the late guitarist got his first break with David Bowie. After a short stint in an Austin jazz band, Duarte joined Bobby Mack and Night Train, and began getting heavily into the blues. He later formed his current power trio, The Chris Duarte Group, featuring John Jordan (bass), Brannen Temple (drums) and band leader Duarte (guitar, vocals). The group traveled all over Texas before their big break in 1994, when Silvertone Records released their critically praised debut album, Texas Sugar Strat Magic. The release of that album brought immediate acclaim for the band's gritty, intense southern rock-blues sound, with Duarte singled out for his powerful guitar shredding technique. In the 1995 Guitar World magazine Readers' Poll, Duarte was voted fourth best blues guitarist behind the much more established and esteemed company of Eric Clapton , Buddy Guy and B.B. King . The group's debut was additionally voted fourth best blues album of the year. They followed that release in 1997 with Tailspin Headwhack. Duarte has described the band's sound as "blues based, with that loud aggressive edge that punk had. I liked Dead Kennedys, Sex Pistols, Dead Boys, anything that was hard." Duarte attacks his guitar with a vengeance -- bent over at the waist, long hair flying in his face, playing monster licks, at a decibel level that would make Quiet Riot flinch. So strap on your flak jacket because you are in for one booming display of guitar pyrotechnics when Chris Duarte steps on stage and says, "I'm from Austin, Texas and we're here to play our ass off tonight, thank you very much."
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