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Eden Brent

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Eden Brent
Eden Brent performing at the Rawa Blues Festival in Poland, 2009
Background information
Born (1965-11-16) November 16, 1965 (age 59)
Greenville, Mississippi, United States
GenresBlues, boogie-woogie
OccupationsMusician
InstrumentsPiano, vocals
Years active1994–present
LabelsYellow Dog Records
Websiteedenbrent.com

Eden Brent (born November 16, 1965, in Greenville, Mississippi, United States)[1] is an American musician on the independent Yellow Dog Records label. A blues pianist and vocalist, she combines boogie-woogie with elements of blues, jazz, soul, gospel and pop. Her vocal style has been compared to Bessie Smith, Memphis Minnie and Aretha Franklin.[2][3] She took lessons from Abie "Boogaloo" Ames, a traditional blues and boogie woogie piano player and eventually earned the nickname "Little Boogaloo."[1]

In 2006, she won the Blues Foundation's International Blues Challenge.[4] Along with other awards, Brent garnered two 2009 Blues Music Awards - one for Acoustic Artist of the Year, the other for Acoustic Album of the Year (Mississippi Number One).[5] At The 14th Annual Independent Music Awards in 2015, Eden Brent won the award in the "Holiday Song" category for "Valentine".

History

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Eden Brent was born in 1965 and raised in Greenville, Mississippi, where she attended Washington School. https://www.mswritersandmusicians.com/mississippi-musicians/eden-brent Brent studied jazz and music at the University of North Texas, graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Music.[6]

When she was 16, Eden Brent met the late blues pioneer, Abie Ames, and began to teach herself how to play his style. Brent has said,

"By the time I was 19, I’d nearly become sort of a groupie. I’d go hear him and request certain songs because I wanted to hear them and sort of watch over his shoulder a bit and watch the way he was playing. Sometimes I’d request the same thing over and over and then go home and try to learn it. Finally, after a few failures of not being able to pick it up on my own I was bold enough to ask him to teach me."[7]

In 1985, Ames took her under his wing for 16 years, nicknaming her Little Boogaloo.[8] This apprenticeship advanced Brent’s talents. She was featured alongside Ames in the 1999 PBS documentary, Boogaloo & Eden: Sustaining the Sound, and in the 2002 South African production Forty Days in the Delta.[9]

Since launching her career, Eden travels the United States and abroad performing in festivals like Notodden, the Chicago Blues Festival, Cognac's Blues Passions, and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. She's a frequent piano bar host aboard the Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise.[10]

Awards

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Won
  • 2009: "Acoustic Artist of The Year" by the Blues Foundation[11]
  • 2009: "Acoustic Album of Year" by the Blues Foundation[11]
  • 2010: "Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of The Year" by the Blues Foundation[12]
  • 2015: "Holiday Song" award for "Valentine" - 2015 14th Annual Independent Music Awards
Nominated
  • 2008: "Sean Costello Rising Star Award" by the Blues Blast Music Awards
  • 2008: "Blues Song Of The Year" by the Blues Critic Awards Reader's Poll for "Mississippi Number 1"
  • 2009: "Blues Album of the Year" by the Just Plain Folks Music Awards for "Mississippi Number 1"
  • 2009: "Blues Song of the Year" by the Just Plain Folks Music Awards for "Until I Die"
  • 2009: "Best New Artist Debut" by the Blues Foundation for Mississippi Number 1
  • 2009: "Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year" by the Blues Foundation
  • 2009: "Blues Song Of The Year" finalist at the 8th Annual Independent Music Awards for "Mississippi Flatland Blues"
  • 2009: "Blues Artist of The Year" by the Living Blues Awards
  • 2009: "Best New Artist Debut Recording" by the Blues Blast Music Awards
  • 2009: "Best Female Artist" by the Blues Blast Music Awards
  • 2009: "Sean Costello Rising Star Award" by the Blues Blast Music Awards
  • 2010: "Most Outstanding Musician – Keyboard" by the Living Blues Awards[13]
  • 2011: "Blues Album, Adult Contemporary Song" for The Independent Music Awards[14]

Discography

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  • 2003: Something Cool (Little Boogaloo Records)
  • 2008: Mississippi Number One (Yellow Dog Records)
  • 2010: Ain't Got No Troubles (Yellow Dog Records)
  • 2014: Jigsaw Heart (Yellow Dog Records)
  • 2018: An Eden Brent Christmas (with Bob Dowell) (Yellow Dog Records)
  • 2024: Getaway Blues (Yellow Dog Records)

References

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  1. ^ a b Jordan, Charles. "Eden Brent: A Biography". Mississippi Writers and Musicians. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
  2. ^ Tom Clarke (2008-06-01). "Elmore review". Archived from the original on 2009-03-03. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
  3. ^ Josh Hathaway (2008-04-15). "Music Review: Eden Brent - Mississippi Number One". Retrieved 2009-06-30.
  4. ^ "2006 International Blues Challenge results". 2006-01-29. Archived from the original on 2009-04-03. Retrieved 2009-05-08.
  5. ^ "2009 Blues Awards recipients". 2009-05-09. Archived from the original on 2009-06-05. Retrieved 2009-05-11.
  6. ^ "Discography". EdenBrent.com. Archived from the original on 2013-05-30. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
  7. ^ Interview w/ Eden Brent, Americana Music Show episode 201, published 4 August 2014.
  8. ^ Art Tipaldi (2009-02-01). "Blues Revue, Issue #116 New Women of The Blues". Archived from the original on 2009-05-07. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
  9. ^ Cypress Bend Productions and Mississippi Educational Television (2009-02-01). "Sustaining The Sound, public television documentary". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2009-07-01.
  10. ^ "Eden Brent - Bio". edenbrent.com. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  11. ^ a b "Eden Brent". Lowell Folk Festival. Archived from the original on 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
  12. ^ Gordon, Keith. "Blues Music Awards 2012". About.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-25. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
  13. ^ "Bio". EdenBrent.com. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
  14. ^ "Eden Brent". The Independent Music Awards. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
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