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Photo: Tsungam (Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Electric Blues
Kai Strauss
Born: 1970-05-15• Germany• Active: 1995–present
Electric BluesChicago Blues
Still active with the Electric Blues All-Stars — 2024's Wailin' in Vienna is the latest of nine albums as bandleader, with tour dates booked into 2026.
Instruments
Electric guitar, Vocals
Labels
Timezone, Continental Europe, Continental Blue Heaven
from
Osnabrück, Germany
Born
1970-05-15
Musical Influence
Osnabrück calls itself Germany's blues capital, and Kai Strauss has spent three decades acting as evidence for the claim — a European guitarist whose Chicago-Memphis phrasing earned him praise from Alligator Records' own Bruce Iglauer, not polite tolerance. Multiple German Blues Awards and a widening international touring circuit later, he remains one of the small handful of continental European blues musicians American critics treat as the real thing rather than a tribute act (Kilde: Wikipedia, kaistrauss.com).
Influences
Albert KingBuddy GuyJimmie VaughanStevie Ray Vaughan
Formative experiences
- •1970: Born May 15 in Lengerich, Westphalia; grows up in Osnabrück. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
- •1980s: Discovers Albert King, Buddy Guy and the Vaughan brothers through his parents' record collection. (Kilde: kaistrauss.com)
- •1995: Begins touring Europe with the Bluescasters, built around singer Memo Gonzalez. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
- •2010: Starts performing under his own name. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
- •2014: Founds Kai Strauss & The Electric Blues All-Stars; wins his first German Blues Award. (Kilde: Wikipedia)
Instruments & Equipment
Stories & Anecdotes
"Grew up in Osnabrück, a city widely regarded as Germany's blues capital. (Kilde: Wikipedia)"
"Praised by Alligator Records' Bruce Iglauer for playing with "a lot of maturity and emotions." (Kilde: kaistrauss.com)"
"Has toured more than twenty countries across multiple continents. (Kilde: kaistrauss.com)"
Collaborators
Texas-born singer and harmonica player; toured Europe together as the Bluescasters, 1995–2010.
Featured on the album Getting Personal (2017).
Shared stages and studios across his solo career.
Watch & Listen
Featured
Night Shift Blues
Kai Strauss - Topic
Watch & Listen
Henter videoer fra YouTube…
Discography
| Year | Title | Producer | Studio | Label | Chart | Sales | Musicians | YouTube | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | This Time | — | — | Timezone (TZ735) | — | — | — | Early studio album under his own name. | |
| 2014 | Electric Blues | — | — | Continental Europe (CECD 49) | — | — | — | Featuring Keith Dunn and Sugar Ray Norcia; won the German Blues Award for Best Album. | |
| 2015 | I Go By Feel | — | — | Continental Blue Heaven (CBHCD 2027) | — | — | — | Won a second consecutive German Blues Award for Best Album. | |
| 2017 | Getting Personal | — | — | Continental Blue Heaven (CBHCD 2030) | — | — | — | Features Big Daddy Wilson. | |
| 2018 | The Blues Is Handmade | — | — | Continental Blue Heaven (CBHLP 2030) | — | — | — | Vinyl-only release. | |
| 2019 | Live In Concert | — | — | Continental Blue Heaven (CBHCD 2032) | — | — | — | Live album with the Electric Blues All-Stars. | |
| 2020 | In My Prime | — | — | Continental Blue Heaven (CBHCD 2038) | — | — | — | Studio album with the Electric Blues All-Stars. | |
| 2022 | Night Shift | — | — | Continental Blue Heaven (CBHCD 2851) | — | — | — | His seventh album as bandleader. | |
| 2024 | Wailin' in Vienna | — | — | Continental Blue Heaven (CBHCD 2057) | — | — | — | His most recent studio album to date. |
Famous songs
01Night Shift Blues
02Gotta Wake Up
03Wailin' in Vienna
04I Love the Woman
Awards & Recognition
2014
German Blues Award — Best Album
2015
German Blues Award — Best Album
2016
German Blues Award — Best Band
2018
German Blues Award — Guitar
2019
German Blues Award — Best Band
External links
Booking / Contact
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