World renowned for her mastery of country blues, Rory Block has twice won two W.C. Handy awards for "Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year" and "Acoustic Blues Album of the Year." In 1998 she won the French "Trophees France Blues 98 -- International Guitarist Acoustique '98." Her performances are both direct and passionate.

Her songwriting is equally strong. Best Blues and Originals won a European gold record. She has also won three INDIE awards for "Best Adult Contemporary Album of the Year."

Rory was raised in New York City's Greenwich Village and at age 14, Block was exposed to the finest American roots music, apprenticing directly with such seminal blues greats as Son House, Reverend Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James and Fred McDowell.

In the mid-'70s Rory recorded her acclaimed album High Heeled Blues for Rounder Records. Rolling Stone said, "Some of the most singular and affecting country blues anyone -- man or woman, black or white, old or young has cut in recent years."

The past decade has been very prolific for Rory as a recording artist with Mamma's Blues (1991); Ain't I a Woman (1992), Angel of Mercy (1994), When Woman Gets the Blues (1995), Tornado (1996) and Gone Woman Blues (1997) and Confessions of a Blues Singer (1998).

Rory kicked of the new century with I'm Every Woman in 2002 where she melds her wicked slide guitar to sweet soul music. Special guests include Keb' Mo', Kelly Joe Phelps, Saffire's Gaye Adegbalola, and Paul Rishell and Annie Raines.

She has appeared on numerous major TV shows from CNN's Showbiz Today, the famed PBS series Austin City Limits, NBC's Weekend Today in New York, CBS's Nightwatch and others. Rory has headlined major festivals worldwide including the Chicago and San Francisco Blues Festivals, Memphis in May, The Philadelphia Folk Festival, The W.O.M.A.D. festival in England, the Pink Pop festival in Holland, Peer festival in Belgium, the Edmonton Festival in Canada and many others.

http://www.RoryBlock.com/