KIP LONDON
www.kiplondonmusic.com
AMERICAN ROOTS SONG: Useless
AMERICANA PERFORMANCE: Drinking Tonight
AMERICANA ALBUM: The Last Dance
The posthumous album from beloved Western PA musician Kip London emerges from a series of recording sessions with Norman Nardini at his East Side Sound Studio just prior to London's untimely passing in 2022. Masterfully produced by three-time GRAMMY winner Kirk Yano at his studio in Brooklyn, NY, Yano assembled a distinctive group of musicians to skillfully complete the project.
Kip London chose his craft at the young age of 11, got his first guitar, and never looked back, carving out a career as a talented artist with a phenomenal range and a gift for rhythmic improvisation in addition to his prolific songwriting. His early life in Western Pennsylvania in Braddock, McKeesport and Greensburg was filled with his mother’s love and the sounds of big band and swing orchestras in the background from the restaurant and bars where his Ma worked. He would sit nights listening from their upstairs apartments, babysat by his dog Scout. He was orphaned at the young age of 12, and life remained tough, with music providing purpose and solace. Music was his world, and the blues his vocation.
​
He began playing in various Pittsburgh Rock ‘N’ Roll bands throughout the 70’s and 80’s before moving to Boston and immersing himself in its active music scene. Inspired by the folk music of Bob Dylan, Kip created a unique blues style that was eclectic and authentic. From solo artist to frontman to over half a decade as lead vocalist for a 15-piece orchestra in Boston, Kip’s raw and real style was his own in every incarnation. The Boston Globe called his work “straight ahead cool.” In March 1998, one of Kip’s earlier CD’s, Jump City, took its spot among music greats when it was listed along with B.B.King’s, Deuces Wild, and Bob Dylan’s, Time out of Mind as “the top ten most often listened to recordings in Blues Revue’s offices.
​
Returning to the “Burgh” in 2017 with his sweetheart and beloved bull terrier in tow, Kip brought his distinctive renditions and solos back to the rich legacy of his hometown music scene. He was the winner of the Blues Society of Western Pennsylvania’s annual Blues Challenge in the Solo/Duo category in 2021 and represented Western PA in the 37th Annual International Blues Challenge, held in May 2022 in Memphis. More than the accolades, though, it was always the music that satisfied his soul.
​
The Last Dance is a marvelous tribute to an artist whose work should have been more widely known. There’s inspiration not just in his music, but in the life that led him through that music. Give Kip a serious listen. You’ll be glad you did.
- Jim White, Blues Roadhouse