Announces Grandfather Courage LP Due Out Feb. 3
A Reimagined Acoustic Version of his Acclaimed 2022 Album – Pre-order HERE
Unveils New Single:
“Highest Bidder” (Reimagined Acoustic Version)
Original Version of “Oh Betty” Nominated for
GRAMMY Award “Best American Roots Performance”
THE ‘WHITE JESUS BLACK PROBLEMS’ UK AND EUROPEAN TOUR ANNOUNCED EACH SHOW INCLUDES A FILM SCREENING, A SOLO LIVE PERFORMNCE AND Q&A SESSION
| “A stellar new album from Fantastic Negrito. Combining different corners of the Black musical world… timeless quality” – NPR Music ”A funky, wah-laden melding of delta blues and disco, which examines the commercial forces that often propel humanity’s worst behavior.” – Guitar World “illustrates the importance of Fantastic Negrito’s artistry.” – Billboard “This tremendous synthesis of righteous rhetoric and gnarly, funk-flecked blues-rock… a potent tour de force” – MOJO, 4 Stars |
| Soulful singer, songwriter, musician, and activist Fantastic Negrito (neé Xavier Dphrepaulezz) has announced his brand new album Grandfather Courage, a reimagined acoustic version of his acclaimed 2022 album White Jesus Black Problems. He previously offered fans a preview of the collection’s new version of “Oh Betty”, in celebration of its GRAMMY nomination in the “Best American Roots Performance” category. Today, he has released another taste of the special release with “Highest Bidder” (Reimagined Acoustic Version), debuted with American Songwriter, and shares, “If you want to take your mind, body and soul on a trip check out the reimagined recording of Highest Bidder through the lenses of my touring band. At the time, I was listening to a lot of African drum patterns, and that influenced this song. I’m trying to convey what I see when I walk down the street here in Oakland.” |
A larger than life character, Fantastic Negrito’s own story is stranger than fiction. He first released an album in 1996, but a near fatal car crash in 1999 effectively ended the first chapter of his career. It resulted in him spending three weeks in a coma and initially losing almost all movement in his right hand, drastically limiting his ability to play guitar. Effectively reborn under his new artist identity of Fantastic Negrito, his career got underway when his phenomenal, charismatic performance won NPR Music’s prestigious Tiny Desk Concert Contest.
All three of his previous studio albums have won the GRAMMY Award for Best Contemporary Blues album: The Last Days of Oakland, Please Don’t Be Dead and Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?. He has toured with artists as varied as Sturgill Simpson and Chris Cornell, collaborated with Sting and E-40, launched his own Storefront Records label, and founded the Revolution Plantation, an urban farm aimed at youth education and empowerment.
Fantastic Negrito is also confirmed for several film screenings w/ performances in the UK & Europe, including a show in Italyin March 2023 as guest to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Full list of live appearances here and tickets for the UK shows are available HERE.
| FEBRUARY 2023 UK Tour Dates 5th – Glasgow, Old Fruitmarket (Celtic Connections show) 6th – Manchester, Deaf Institute 7th – London, The Lower Third 8th – London, The Lower Third |
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