A guitar player since his teenage years, he hung out at the Blues Box, a music club and cultural center in Baton Rouge run by guitarist Tabby Thomas. Playing guitar alongside Thomas, Raful Neal, Henry Gray and other high-profile regulars at the club, Benoit learned the blues first-hand from a faculty of living blues legends. He formed a trio in 1987 and began playing clubs in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. He began touring other parts of the south two years later and started touring more of the United States in 1991- and he continues to this day.
Benoit landed a recording contract with the Texas-based Justice Records and released a series of well-received recordings, beginning in 1992 with Nice and Warm, an album that prompted comparisons to blues guitar heavyweights like Albert King, Albert Collins and even Jimi Hendrix. Despite the hype, Benoit has done his best over the years to maintain a commitment to his Cajun roots— a goal that often eluded him when past producers and promoters tried to turn him and his recordings in a rock direction, often against his better instincts. These Blues Are All Mine, released on Vanguard in 1999 after Justice folded, marked a return to the rootsy sound that he’d been steered away from for several years.
That same year, he appeared on Homesick for the Road, a collaborative album on the Telarc label with fellow guitarists Kenny Neal and Debbie Davies. Homesick not only served as a showcase for three relatively young but clearly rising stars, but also launched Benoit’s relationship with Telarc that came to fruition in 2002 with the release of Wetlands —arguably the most authentically Cajun installment in his entire ten-year discography.
On Wetlands, Benoit mixes original material like the autobiographical “When a Cajun Man Gets the Blues” and the driving “Fast and Free” with little-known classics like Li’l Bob & the Lollipops’ “I Got Loaded,” Professor Longhair’s “Her Mind Is Gone” and Otis Redding’s timeless “These Arms of Mine” (Tab’s vocal style has long been influenced by Redding).
Later in 2002, Benoit released Whiskey Store, a collaborative recording with fellow guitarist and Telarc labelmate Jimmy Thackery as well as harpist Charlie Musselwhite and Double Trouble—the two-man rhythm section of bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton that backed Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Benoit, in 2003, released Sea Saint Sessions, recorded at Big Easy Recording Studio (better known among musicians in the region as Sea Saint Studio) in New Orleans. In addition to Benoit and his regular crew—bassist Carl Dufrene and drummer Darryl White—Sea Saint Sessions includes numerous guest appearances by Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Cyril Neville, Brian Stoltz and George Porter.
That same year, Benoit and Thackery took their dueling guitar show on the road and recorded a March 2003 performance at the Unity Centre for Performing Arts in Unity, Maine. The result was Whiskey Store Live, a high-energy guitar fest released in February 2004.
Benoit's 2005 release is Fever for the Bayou,which also includes guest appearances by Cyril Neville (vocals and percussion) and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux (vocals).
An interview with Tab Benoit:
http://www.thecelebritycafe.com/interviews/tab_benoit.html
Night Life
Tab Benoit Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You wil find me, oh, hangin' around
Yes, the night life, it ain't no good life
But it's my life
And many people just like me
Oh, dreaming of what it used to be
Yes, the night life, it ain't no good life, no
Now listen to the blues that they're playing
Listen to what the blues are saying
And mine is just a, another scene
From the world of broken dreams
Yes, the night life, it ain't no good life, no
Oh, but it's my life
Yeah, you know, the night life, it ain't no good life
But it's my life now
Tab Benoit's song "Night Life" is a poignant representation of a world that refuses to give up on its dreams, despite the harsh realities of life. The lyrics depict the loneliness and desperation of those who find themselves hanging around when the evening sun goes down. They acknowledge that the night life, though not necessarily good, becomes a well-entrenched part of their lives.
The song seems to suggest that the night brings more emotional honesty and clarity than the day. It's when people are alone with their thoughts and can truly examine their lives. The line "And many people just like me, oh, dreaming of what it used to be" reveals the deep regret and longing for the past that many of us feel. The blues music that plays in the background heightens this emotion, as the singers lament all the losses and missed opportunities in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
When the evening sun goes down
As the sun sets, you can find me still lingering around.
You wil find me, oh, hangin' around
I'll be there, waiting for the night to unfold.
Yes, the night life, it ain't no good life
The night scene is not a virtuous one.
But it's my life
But I choose to live this way.
And many people just like me
There are many others who feel the same way I do.
Oh, dreaming of what it used to be
Nostalgic for the past and what it once was.
Now listen to the blues that they're playing
Take a moment to absorb the emotional tone of the blues music being played.
Listen to what the blues are saying
Pay attention to the story the blues music is telling.
And mine is just a, another scene
My life is simply one of many that play out in this setting.
From the world of broken dreams
A lifestyle that caters to those with shattered hopes and aspirations.
Oh, but it's my life
Despite its flaws and challenges, I am content with the life I lead.
Yeah, you know, the night life, it ain't no good life
This way of living is not for everyone and has its downsides.
But it's my life now
But I have chosen this path and will continue to live it as my own.
Contributed by Lucy L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.