Les Kerr - Songwriter/Entertainer

"Les Kerr creates a sound that’s both jovial and cerebral all at the same time…Kerr takes his stylistic additives from a variety of genres -- reggae, country, folk, blues and rock ‘n’ roll -- and meshes them into a hybrid."-No Depression Les Kerr is a songwriter, recording artist and performer who brings blues, New Orleans music, Zydeco, rock and bluegrass together to create his “Hillbilly Blues Caribbean Rock & Roll.” A Nashville resident since 1987, Kerr was born in Louisiana and raised in Mississippi. About Bay Street, No Depression magazine reviewer Lee Zimmerman wrote, “ Nashville’s Les Kerr creates a sound that’s both jovial and cerebral all at the same time. Making music that he likes to call “Hillbilly Blues Caribbean Rock and Roll,” Kerr takes his stylistic additives from a variety of genres ... and meshes them into a hybrid that’s philosophical, sunny and suggestive. He adds a tender touch on ballads like “Running Buddies,” “Still on the Farm” and “Southerners and Irishmen,” injecting some knowing sentiment into everyday occurrences... As a result, he comes across as a kind of tireless troubadour, sharing his philosophical outlook from the view of an eccentric everyman.”
The title song of his 2015 album, Contributor, was inspired by Nashville’s street newspaper and the premier event of the video raised money for the newspaper, The Contributor. The video for Contributor was shown on CMT.com. Mackinac Blues, from Les’ New Orleans Set CD, was included in NPR’s All Songs Considered and the New Orleans-based OffBEAT magazine declared, “Kerr’s musical stylings aptly cover the gamut from rockabilly to boogie to Caribbean beats with ease.”
Kerr has performed at many regional blues festivals and has headlined annual Mardi Gras celebrations at Nashville’s famed Bluebird Café since 1992. He was a three-time award nominee of the former Music City Blues Society and was featured in the TV documentary Civil War Songs and Stories broadcast on PBS stations across the U.S. Lyrics of several of Les’ songs have appeared in three volumes of Maple Leaf Rag, a New Orleans poetry anthology. He is also the co-author of The All-American Truck Stop Cookbook (Thomas Nelson Publisher) and Tennessee (Graphic Arts Press). For more information, visit www.leskerr.com