Alabama Music Maker Jamell Richardson A New Face In An Old Tradition Of Blues

By Tommy Fluker

Jamell “Gulf Coast Blues Boy” Richardson’s musical journey began at the early age of 2. While he was growing up in his grandmother’s church, she gave him his first instrument, built by his uncle: an electric guitar, which Richardson still has to this day.

In the church where his grandmother served as pastor, Richardson and his siblings formed a gospel quartet. Some years later, he began performing on a larger stage, supporting the Southern soul blues artist Mel Waiters as a traveling sideman, on guitar.

“I really didn’t want to be an artist. I was the kind of person who wanted to be in the background, train other people, write songs for other people,” says the Grand Bay-based guitarist and entertainer. “(But) once you get the calling on you, you have to answer it for yourself. It comes to a certain point in your life when you realize you’re not growing anymore, you’re at a standstill … and when it’s time to move on, it’s time to move on.” Richardson received the sign it was time to keep moving forward when he landed on the set of the James Brown biopic “Get on Up.”

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