EG KIGHT

EG KIGHT’S ROOTS ARE SHOWING, AND SHE DOESN’T MIND! 

Singer/songwriter/goat farmer EG Kight releases first children’s book, and new acoustic record “The Trio Sessions” garners more nominations, bringing career total to 18, while she marks 25 years in the blues! 

(Nashville, TN)  December 27, 2022 -  Celebrating 25 years in the blues, EG Kight is enjoying the success of “The Trio Sessions,” her latest release. With a long list of 18 music industry nominations through the years, this album makes that list with Best Acoustic Album by both the Blues Foundation and Blues Blast Magazine, as well as the Independent Blues Music Awards Best Contemporary CD nomination. 

And on the heels of this project, Kight garnered nominations for Female Artist from all three organizations. Though she hasn’t brought any of the trophies home, each nomination is an honor, and she’s still enjoying the ride, with no signs of slowing down! 

Finally getting back out on the road when it seemed safer, Kight spent the summer and fall of 2022 touring, from festivals in New York, Missouri, and Pennsylvania, to clubs and theaters, house concerts, outdoor gardens, fundraisers, wineries, and a private event in Oklahoma. And she appeared on Georgia's PBS station, talking with Sharon Collins about music and her songwriting inspirations, her goats, and overcoming adversity on "Georgia Outdoors". 

During the pandemic, many artists quickly learned all about Facebook live and Zoom, and started to rely on the fans to send tips online to help sustain them. But EG Kight wasn’t able to join in on the live internet shows. Living way out in the country has its advantages. And it has its disadvantages, which include painfully slow internet connections. 

So in the new “stay at home” phase, there were no online gigs. No travel. No steady income. But Kight has come through extreme challenges before, including battling back from a near-death bout with meningitis and encephalitis, and from severe injuries from a brutal dog attack. Nothing has kept her down. And when the world was at a standstill, she took a step back, and took a long hard look at life, and the “new normal.” 

A few months before the shutdown, Kight and “the boys”- as she affectionately calls percussionist Gary Porter and guitarist Ken Wynn - had just been in the studio recording some new songs. Though Kight expected to release the new record in summer 2020, the coronavirus put a halt to those plans. So with that project on hold, she turned her attention to one of her other loves - her goats. 

The successful 2020 summer release of her first children’s book, THINGS I’VE LEARNED FROM A GOAT, gave her fans a deeper glimpse into her relationship with her pet goats. Raising countless goats since going to her first auction with her Uncle Pat many years ago, Kight has patiently nurtured each baby goat into sweet and loving pets. The book, which includes photographs she took of some of her goats, also has solid life lessons for children of all ages, such as “Don’t be afraid to try new things.” “Eat your vegetables.” And “Be a good listener.” Having sold out a couple of times already, Kight has re-ordered and they’re still available through her website, as well as Amazon, BookBaby, Barnes & Noble, and more. 

While working on the book, Kight also recorded several music videos and posted them online for her fans - messages of encouragement as the world struggled through an extraordinarily difficult time. Over time, in response to the fans continuing to reach out to her, she knew it was time to put the finishing touches on her new record. The recording had started in late 2019, and was a unique experience for Kight. Though she’s recorded many albums with bands, this time she and the boys had sat in a circle in the same room, instead of in isolated recording rooms, and just played from the heart. The end result is a genuine work of art. The harmonies are ethereal, and the chemistry is undeniable. 

Released in 2021, “The Trio Sessions” record, as with all of Kight’s previous releases, includes originals - one co-written with longtime co-writer Tom Horner, and one with Johnny Neel, best known for being a member of the Allman Brothers Band and the Dickey Betts Band. These Kight originals are all about relationships, running the gamut from dealing with a hard-headed man, to getting burned and swearing never to “touch that stove again,” to knowing you need to get out of a relationship even though he keeps doing things to get you to stay, to finally getting out of a bad relationship and how good that freedom feels. Not long after Kight wrote “Burned,” the fans often requested it at her live shows, shouting: “Play that stove song!” So she knew she simply had to include it on this record. 

And like all her other albums, Kight included a couple of fan-favorite covers – Willie Dixon’s “Evil,” which Kight first heard performed by her dear friend, Koko Taylor; a rousing take on Robert Johnson’s “Come On In My Kitchen”; and a breathtaking rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.” When Kight tours, she makes note of the fan requests, then records two or three of their favorites on her albums. “Hallelujah” has been the #1 requested song at her shows for several years, so ending this new record with that song just seemed right. 

Comparisons are often made to other strong female artists, and a lot has been written about the similarities between Kight and some of the women who’ve paved the way for her style of music. Creative Loafing magazine noted “Kight is in strong, smooth, controlled voice throughout the record, with dollops of Phoebe Snow, Bonnie Raitt, and even Patsy Cline injected with a dose of Southern charm, class, and a touch of gospel.” And NPR’s WXVU in Cincinnati stated “EG Kight is a triple threat blues artist. While many blues singers favor a raucous vocal style, EG’s voice, while powerful, is honeysmooth and nuanced. Like Bonnie Raitt, Kight doesn’t stop at singing. Besides fronting her band, she plays some of the tastiest blues licks... Kight is also a prolific songwriter and producer.” 

Collaborating with Porter and Wynn, on the road or in the studio, is as easy as breathing for Kight. They’ve been like brothers to her for over 20 years, and have played on stages with her across the country and in Canada. Breaking away from the full band sound and starting to tour as an acoustic trio early in 2019, Kight was getting back to her roots - to that stripped down acoustic sound she first knew as a child… 

Kight’s granddaddy was a minister, and founded a church in their small town in rural Georgia. When Kight was an infant, her mama was offered a Gospel recording contract, but turned it down to stay home and raise her daughter. At the age of four, Kight spontaneously chimed in with a trio of singers at church, and her harmonies were spot on. The church members were stunned, and chuckled as she took a bow at the end of the song. And that same year her uncle gave her a guitar. He had a band and Kight loved watching them rehearse. Over the next few years her grandma taught her how to play that guitar. 

Living on the same land that’s been in the family for generations has helped keep Kight grounded, even as her career took off. Walking around the pond, into the woods, or down the country road, that’s when song lyrics often come to her. There’s a stillness and peace out on that land, and she’s often referred to it as “my church,” because she can get still, and talk to and feel close to God there. 

Having survived several life-threatening situations, Kight maintains that what has saved her and pulled her through the tough times was her original trio - “God, goats and guitars”.  Her never-ending faith in God has always been her rock. Her goats give her a sweet and loving distraction from life’s difficulties and remind her of the circle of life. And her music has always soothed her soul. These are the things that keep her going, every day. 

Music goes back for generations in Kight’s family, and she enjoys every minute that she’s immersed in her own special stew of blues, country, gospel, and southern rock. With all the family and musical influences, and her lifelong rural lifestyle, her “country flavored southern fried blues” has carried her to a lot of places, and earned her much-deserved recognition. 

“The Trio Sessions” record debuted in the top 15 on the blues and roots charts, and landed on the Top 40 Blues Albums chart for 2021. Thrilled with the response from the industry and from the fans, she’s lining up some exciting tour dates for 2023, to take her live music back out to the fans. With this record, her roots are showing. And she and the boys are mighty proud of that! And as they work in the studio on the next album, fans can expect more of that special stew. 

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Visit her website for more. www.EGKight.com 
Contact: Sunny Stephens, BlueSouthTalent@aol.com

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