Eric Steckel

Originally from Pennsylvania where he was first known for his energetic guest appearances with many of the area's finest performers, Eric's early musical influences inspired him to pick up his first Fender Stratocaster at the age of nine.

There was no looking back.............

Eric's passion for the Blues enabled him to soon share the stage with many nationally known artists including Bob Margolin, Debbie Davies, James Armstrong, Steve Guyger, Kenny Neal, Chris Beard, Tommy Castro, Joe Kubek, Bnois King, Solomon Burke, Ronnie Baker Brooks and Hubert Sumlin.

With a feeling and natural ability that just can't be explained for someone so young, Eric delivers a Freddie-BB-Albert King influenced performance with an intensity and skill that belies his youth. With a style at times reminiscent the great ones, Eric combines a variety of influences while reminding everyone the real thing comes from the heart and soul.

The Eric Steckel Band's debut CD, "A Few Degrees Warmer", was recorded live in April 2002 when Eric was a mere 11 years old. A Few Degrees quickly became a CDBaby Top Blues Seller and the record continues to delight Blues Guitar fans across the globe.

In November of 2003 the "ESB" appeared at the Sarasota Blues Festival where Eric delighted the crowd with his powerful set and cameo appearances to become the talk of the day. Although Eric would later earn a return invitation by popular demand in 2004, it was the 2003 festival where Eric was introduced by John Mayall as the youngest person ever on stage with the Bluesbreakers.

Eric left a lasting impression on Mayall and in the Summer of 2004, Eric appeared in Sweden, Norway and Denmark as a special guest with John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers during their Scandinavian Tour and in early 2005 Eric traveled to Los Angeles where he joined Mayall for session work on the recently released Bluesbreaker's record titled "Road Dogs". Listen for Eric's lead guitar work on the track "Chaos in the Neighborhood".

The ESB also developed their own faithful following through years of club gigs and festival appearances including opening sets in support of Marcia Ball, Tommy Castro, Shemekia Copeland and B.B. King.

After releasing a studio record titled "High Action" in 2004, the ESB traveled to Holland and Belgium in 2005 for a 10 concert tour promoted by Rounder-Europe and King Bee Music.

Eric now resides in Jacksonville, Florida where he was introduced to Duane Trucks who joined the band in late 2005 on drums. Music fans may immediately recognize Duane as Derek's younger brother and the nephew of Butch Trucks.

In celebration of Duane's arrival, the ESB released their third record, "Havana". Arguably their best work to date, "Havana" captures the essence of the band. Deeply rooted in the Blues, their performance recalls the sound of the 60s and 70s Blues Rock era.

In support of the European release of "Live at Havana" through Rounder-Europe, the ESB returned to Holland in 2006 where they had the honor to open for Johnny Winter at The Paradiso in Amsterdam and appeared at the Tegelen Blues Rock Festival.

The Summer of 2007 marked another milestone for Eric as the band played several prominent American music festivals and earned rave reviews and new fans during tours in Holland, Germany, Belgium and Italy, including a prime time performance at the legendary Pistoia Blues Festival where he opened for John Mayall and Gregg Allman.

With an eye to the future Eric has now started work on a new studio record. The new studio album "Feels Like home" was released in early 2008. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.