Brother Yusef

Brother Yusef has been described as a master solo guitarist, as well as a uniquely passionate vocalist. He remembers first hearing the call of the Blues as a young a child attending church with this grandparents in Bakersfield, CA. The raw and intense emotions in church left a lasting impression which he carried with him into other music genres. At age 19 Brother Yusef picked up a guitar and began experimenting with reggae, r&b and jazz. He found himself at a musical crossroads in 1989 when he went to the Bakersfield church of his childhood, to pay this last respects at his grandfather's funeral. A soloist there began picking out a soothing church hymn on guitar, connecting Yusef to his grandfather, elders and ancestors in the rich tradition of the blues. Brother Yusef has gained recognition from audiences and musicians throughout the Los Angeles and Orange County area for his range of sounds and emotions -sadness, joy, anger and laughter. He keeps "one foot in the past and one in the present", by combining "traditional" finger picking and slide guitar playing with the contemporary feel of urban blues. Audiences love the full sound of his solo performances (he uses his right hand thumb to beat out a percussive bass-line and shuffle, while the index finger plays rhythm and lead lines); and musicians nicknamed him "Fatback" or "Fatt-Back Bluesman", for his intense playing and vocal style. Since December 2001, Brother Yusef has been a regular performer at Downtown Disney, located at the Disneyland resort in Anaheim California.