THE BLOOD BROTHERS: MIKE ZITO & ALBERT CASTIGLIA
Saturday, November 20 / 12:00 p.m.
Blues Brunch
THE BLOOD BROTHERS:
MIKE ZITO & ALBERT CASTIGLIA
DoubleTree Grand Ballroom
Guitarists/vocalists Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia, both Gulf Coast Records artists, will be reprising their spring tour together as “The Blood Brothers” for Reading Blues Fest, bringing their bands for a concert which will feature each band performing separately, then joining forces for a grand finale.
Contemporary blues guitarist/vocalist Mike Zito, a five-time BMA winner, was already well known on the St. Louis music scene by his late teens.
The title track of his 2009 “Pearl River” album, for which he collaborated with Cyril Neville, won a BMA Song of the Year. He later worked with Neville in the Royal Southern Brotherhood, considered by many a “super group,” from 2010 to 2014.
Zito has continued to record critically acclaimed albums, including “Quarantine Blues,” recorded last year during the heart of the Covid-19 pandemic and released as a “free to download” album.
His 2019 album, “Rock N Roll: A Tribute to Chuck Berry,” contains 20 tunes featuring 21 guest guitarists. This year he released “Blues for the Southside.”
Guitarist/vocalist Albert Castiglia won the 2020 BMA for Album of the Year, for his “Masterpiece.”
His most recent album, “I Got Love,” was produced by Zito, who co-owns Gulf Coast Records.
Raised in Miami, Castiglia learned all about performing during two years backing blues legend Junior Wells on tour. His solo career earned him the title “South Florida’s Best Blues Guitarist,” and he has captivated audiences all over the country. His “retro-electric blues” have been inspired by Mississipppi Delta and Chicago blues.