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
SUNRISE
Tab Benoit Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I'm beginning to think that that's my only friend
You find me every day, keep me warm
Yes, that's the only thing I can always count on
With your eyes in the sky
As you travel 'round this world
You're the only one that can find my girl
I'm thinking of her and I was wrong
We've been fighting over nothing
Shine your light longer
So she could find her way back home
With your eyes up in the sky
As you travel 'round this world
I say you're the only one that can find my girl
And when you do tell her I love her
That I'm thinking of her and I was wrong
We've been fighting over nothing
Shine your light, baby
So she could find her way back home
In Tab Benoit's song "Sunrise", the singer seems to be in a state of loneliness as he watches the sunrise alone, with the only solace being the dawn of a new day. The only reliable presence in his life seems to be the sun, which finds him every day and keeps him warm. The singer then calls upon the sun, addressing it as "you" in a personified manner, asking it to help him find his girl. The sun is the only one that can find her as it travels around the world with its eyes in the sky. The singer expresses remorse for "fighting over nothing" and being wrong, and asks that the sun shine its light longer so that his girl can find her way back home.
The use of the sun as a metaphor for a constant presence and a source of hope and warmth is a common one in literature and music. The singer's loneliness is palpable, and the desperation in his voice is clear. The song speaks to the idea that sometimes one can feel lost or alone, but there is always hope, and that hope can be found in the simplest things. The singer's love for his girl seems to be the one thing that gives meaning to his life, and he is willing to make amends for his mistakes.
Overall, the song is a heartfelt plea for forgiveness and a desire to be reunited with a loved one. The use of the sun as a symbol of hope and renewal adds to the emotional impact of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
I watch the sunrise alone again
I am sitting here, without anyone else, watching the sun as it rises over the horizon
And I'm beginning to think that that's my only friend
I have been feeling isolated recently and am starting to believe that the only company I have is the sunrise
You find me every day, keep me warm
The warmth of the sun's rays on my skin is the only comfort I receive on a daily basis
Yes, that's the only thing I can always count on
Regardless of any other uncertainties in my life, I can count on the consistent nature of the sunrise to be there every morning
With your eyes in the sky
Referring to the sun as it moves across the sky throughout the day
As you travel 'round this world
The movement of the sun, as it appears to move across the sky, is a result of the Earth's rotation
You're the only one that can find my girl
Addressing the sun as if it has the power to locate someone important to the singer
And when you do tell her I love her
If the sun were to locate this person, the artist requests that it relay a message of love to them
I'm thinking of her and I was wrong
The artist is admitting to making a mistake and is now in contemplation about someone they care for
We've been fighting over nothing
The conflict between the artist and the person they are thinking about is trivial
Shine your light longer
As the sun sets, the singer is metaphorically asking it to stay and provide light and warmth for just a little while longer
So she could find her way back home
If the sun were to extend its light, the person the artist cares for may have a better chance at finding their way back to safety or comfort
Shine your light, baby
The singer is personifying the sun and making a plea for it to continue providing its light and warmth
So she could find her way back home
Repeating the potential beneficial outcome of the sun extending its presence a bit longer
Contributed by Gabriella S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Sweet Raw Healing
I watch the sunrise alone again
And I'm beginning to think that that's my only friend
You find me every day, keep me warm
Yes, that's the only thing I can always count on
With your eyes in the sky
As you travel 'round this world
You're the only one that can find my girl
And when you do tell her I love her
I'm thinking of her and I was wrong
We've been fighting over nothing
Shine your light longer
So she could find her way back home
With your eyes up in the sky
As you travel 'round this world
I say you're the only one that can find my girl
And when you do tell her I love her
That I'm thinking of her and I was wrong
We've been fighting over nothing
Shine your light, baby
So she could find her way back home
Don S
I've been seeing live shows for 40 years I saw him at the Blues Awards in Memphis front row table A1A he literally blew the roof off the place never seen a showman like that No Effects 1 guitar 1 amp and one man
craigthibodaux
Like albert Collins live!
The Desert Rat
Just his name creates interest ,,, then you listen to his music and wonder where the hell you've been to NOT hear of Tab Benoit
Fred Lamm
I was living in Eastern Europe. Very hard to get American music here unless you like pop and pre 60’s
SurprizedDaily
+JOHNNYxxREB Exactly mate, that's what we've always done & as you said, there's plenty of great singer/song writers out here when one goes looking for them! Far more then lame-stream crams down folks throats, imho....
Renita Eury
I think he likes it that way, no big record company telling him what to do
G Quinn
That's exactly what u said a year ago when I found him by mistake,,you got Ottis redding,,Ray Charles,,and many more,,but out of all my very favorites,,tab has passed them all instantly when I heard him and many of his songs!!! Unbelievable
The1stReich
Exactly mate. Just don't listen to mainstream music and you'll find plenty of talent out there. Real fucking talent like, good ole Tab. Cheers.
Jessica Rose
Wish I could find this on Spotify! Just melt every time I hear it
Vonda B
Tab Benoit just the sound of his voice " you know when you don't have the words to say just how you feel and then you listen to some music "When been fighting for nothing !