Luke Winslow-King (born March 12th 1983) is a guitarist, singer, composer, and lyricist known for his slide guitar work, and interest in pre-war blues and traditional jazz. Winslow-King’s work consists of an eclectic mix, taking in delta-folk music, classical composition, ragtime, and rock and roll; juxtaposing original songs with those from a bygone era.

Whether solo, or with a band, Winslow-King offers an original sound that is both rustic and elegant. He delivers energetic and dynamic performances, with his burgundy voice and versatile guitar playing.

LWK, originally from Cadillac, Michigan, moved to New Orleans by chance in 2001. During a decade in New Orleans, he has collaborated with a revered list of local musicians, including: John Boutte, “Washboard” Chaz Leary, and Paul Sanchez.

Performing years of weekly gigs on Frenchmen Street, LWK has honed his sound and earned respect as leader among the young traditionalists, while playing to countless vacationers making musical pilgrimages to New Orleans. Outside the Crescent City, accompanied by singer/washboard-player/sweatheart Eshter Rose and bassist Cassidy Holden, the trio has performed festivals, jazz halls, dive bars, listening rooms, barns, theatres, and arenas across the US and Europe; sharing the stage with icons such as Taj Mahal, John Anderson, Cheick Hamala Diabete, Jack White, Robert Earl Keen, Tower of Power, Rebirth Brass Band, and Chris Thile. Winslow-King has also performed live on CNN, the Discovery Channel, and BBC-TV in recent years and was named ‘Writer of the Week’ by American Songwriter Magazine.

Winslow-King began performing at the age of 14, playing festivals and events all through high school with the ‘Luke Winslow-King Blues Band’. He received his diploma in 2001 from Interlochen Arts Academy Majoring in Jazz Guitar.

He came to Louisiana in the fall of ’02 at age 19 with Earthwork Music founders Seth Bernard and Daniel Kahn presenting: ‘From California to the New York Island’ the songs and stories of Woody Guthrie. After only a few days in New Orleans, Winslow-King’s car – filled to the brim with a bands worth of instruments – was stolen while parked overnight on Ursulines Street. It was during the two or three weeks that he stuck around trying to recover his vehicle and instruments that he fell in love with the city that he now calls home. He enrolled in the music theory and composition program at the University of New Orleans in the spring of ’03 and was awarded an ambassador scholarship to study Czech classical music at St. Charles University in Prague that summer.

Back in New Orleans, Winslow-King learned gospel and jazz standards accompanying John Boutte, bottleneck guitar from blues maestro Roberto Luti (formerly of The Washboard Chaz Blues Trio), and traditional jazz tunes playing with The Loose Marbles Jazz Band. He began paying his dues busking on Royal Street in the day and working regularly at the clubs on Frenchman Street at night.

In New York City, he was employed as a music therapist by the Institutes of Applied Human Dynamics in the Bronx, and held a music teacher’s position at the La Velle School for the Blind. While in New York, Luke studied composition privately and recorded with Grammy nominated avant-garde composer “Blue” Gene Tyranny, and attended Jack Hardy’s legendary songwriter’s circle.

The Coming Tide is his Bloodshot debut, out March 2013.