Selwyn Birchwood On World Cafe — npr.org

Selwyn Birchwood. Paul Natkin/Courtesy of the artist hide caption Today's World Cafe guest is Florida bluesman Selwyn Birchwood. Out of the Tampa area, Birchwood, who plays guitar and lap steel, started out self-releasing his music before winning the 2013 International Blues Challenge with his band. That led to a record deal — and his debut album, Don't Call No Ambulance. "[Blues] was just kind of a sound and a story that I could relate to," Birchwood says. "I definitely didn't really dig or relate to what was on when I was in high school or growing up." After graduating high school, he toured with fellow Floridian and bluesman Sonny Rhodes, who introduced him to the lap steel and taught him how to be a bandleader. Here, Birchwood and his killer band play live on stage at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.

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