Chris Bergson

Chris Bergson (born May 24, 1976) is an American born guitarist, singer and songwriter.

In 1979, his family moved to Boston, Massachusetts before eventually settling in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Bergson began taking guitar lessons when he was seven years old.

Bergson began his professional career in Boston, Massachusetts playing in Boston area rock clubs at the age of 13.

In 1995, Bergson studied privately with jazz guitarist Jim Hall.

From 1996 to 1999, Bergson attended Manhattan School of Music where he studied guitar with Rodney Jones and Jack Wilkins before graduating in 1999 with a Bachelor of Music degree.

In 1996, Bergson recorded his debut album, Blues For Some Friends of Mine (Juniper Records) featuring bassist Dwayne Burno and drummer Greg Bandy.

"With his first release, Bergson proves himself ready for the big time," Jim Fisch wrote in 20th Century Guitar Magazine.

In 1997, Bergson recorded with thejazz vocalist Annie Ross on her album, Cool For Kids (Juniper Records.)

In early 1999, Bergson landed a steady gig at Vintage, a lounge in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen, where he led a trio two nights a week backing up singers including Norah Jones, Sasha Dobson and Dena DeRose.

In 2001, Bergson recorded a collaborative album Reunion of Souls with guitarist Sheryl Bailey and drummer Sunny Jain (Pure Music Records).

In 2002, Chris Bergson was appointed a Jazz Ambassador of the United States of America by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the U.S. State Department and toured 8 countries in West Africa giving concerts and workshops.

In 2003, Bergson performed at New York City's Blue Note Jazz Club and recorded the EP, Blues, live at Smoke Jazz Club with organist Brian Charette and drummer Matt Wilson.

In 2004, the Chris Bergson Band was featured as Artists-in-Residence at New York City's Jazz Standard performing every Monday night in the Fall of 2004.

"We were able to really develop as a band and that’s when I really started writing,” Bergson explained to writer Kay Cordtz in her profile of Bergson for Roll Magazine.

In October 2006, the Chris Bergson Band recorded their first album, Fall Changes at Levon Helm Studios in Woodstock, New York.

The band included saxophonist Jay Collins, keyboardist Bruce Katz and drummer Tony Leone with Helm's daughter, Amy Helm, guesting on a few tunes.

It was at these sessions that Levon Helm first heard Bergson play and Helm invited Bergson to play with his band at his celebrated Midnight Ramble concerts at his home in Woodstock.

Bergson is one of the artists included in photographer Paul LaRaia's book, The Levon Helm Midnight Ramble.

In 2006, Chris Bergson opened for Etta James at B.B. King's Blues Club in New York City.

Fall Changes was released in October 2007 and received rave reviews including Living Blues magazine hailing Bergson as "a serious talent."

As Blues scholar Tony Russell wrote in his four star review of the album for Mojo, "One of the major themes in blues is a sense of place, and this band lay down their local credentials in the opening track about a Brooklyn neighborhood, Gowanus Heights. The catchy melody, stabbing horns and fervent vocal also establish that these guys could strip down the engine of a soulbluesmobile and put it back together blindfold."

Fall Changes went on to be named MOJO's Number One Blues Album of the Year in 2008 by Tony Russell.

In 2008, the Chris Bergson Band performed at the Kaslo Summer Music Festival in Kaslo, British Columbia, Canada where they backed John P. Hammond.

In 2009, Bergson joined the guitar faculty of New York City's 92nd Street Y School of Music.

In March 2009, Bergson performed at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas.

In May 2009, the Chris Bergson Band toured in Europe for the first time including performances at Holland's Moulin Blues Festival in Ospel, Netherlands and Rhythm and Blues Night in Groningen, Netherlands.

In August 2009, Bergson performed with Howlin' Wolf guitarist Hubert Sumlin at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, New York along with keyboardist Bruce Katz and drummer Randy Ciarlante.

In 2010, the Chris Bergson Band including keyboardist Bruce Katz toured Europe including performances at Norway's Blues in Hell Festival and Ireland's Harvest Time Blues Festival.

Upon their return from Europe, the band recorded their third studio album, Imitate the Sun, at Brooklyn's Excello Recording with Hugh Pool engineering.

Released in 2011, the album featured tenor saxophonist Jay Collins, keyboardist Bruce Katz, bassist Matt Clohesy and drummer Tony Leone as well as a horn section arranged by Jay Collins with trumpeter Kenny Rampton and baritone saxophonist Chris Karlic.

In 2012, Chris Bergson opened for B.B. King at B.B. King's Blues Club in New York City.

In 2013, Bergson began writing songs and performing with the soul singer Ellis Hooks.

In June 2013, the Chris Bergson Band recorded a live album over two nights at New York City's Jazz Standard club featuring Ellis Hooks guesting on two songs, keyboardist Craig Dreyer and a three piece horn section arranged by Jay Collins including trumpeter Freddie Hendrix, tenor saxophonist David Luther and baritone saxophonist Ian Hendrickson-Smith.

In November 2013, Bergson performed for the first time in France at the Nuit du Blues Festival in Chaumont with the French musicians bassist Philippe Dandrimont and drummer Pat Machenaud, who would go on to be part of his regular European touring band for the next six years.

The resulting album, 2014's Live at Jazz Standard, was recorded and co-produced by Roman Klun and went on to be named one of MOJO's Best Blues Albums of the Year for 2014 by Tony Russell.

As Tony Russell wrote in his review of the album for The Blues Magazine(UK),

In 2014, the Chris Bergson Band, with the addition of French keyboardist Philippe Billoin, toured in Holland, Belgium and Germany and performed at the largest blues festival in North America, the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland, Oregon.

Chris Bergson was inducted into the New York Blues Hall of Fame as a Master Blues Artist in 2015.

Bergson was born in New York, New York.