"He is the genuine article, perhaps a throwback to the blues men of yore who learned their licks at the knee of legendary patriarch like Charlie Patton. And having done so, serves as one of the last links to the days when cotton was king on the Mississippi Delta." - Larry Benicewicz, Music Monthly.
Memphis Gold has come a long way on a journey that has lasted half a century. Having released four full length albums to date, he has shared the stage with such artists as Bernard Allison, James Brown, R.L. Burnside, Debra Coleman, Robert Cray, John Hammond, Little Jimmy King, Johnny Lang, George Clinton and the P-Funk Allstars, Taj Mahal, Mavis Staples, Shemeika Copland, Roomful of Blues, Otis Rush, The Temptations and Jimmy Vaughn, and many more.
Nine international tours and several festivals worldwide have brought Memphis Gold’s high energy blues to audiences in Thailand, Sweden, Hungary, Turkey, Germany, Croatia, Macedonia, Egypt, Japan, Korea, The Marshall Islands, Guam, Guantanamo Bay and so many more. His international appeal landed him on the cover of the world’s oldest blues magazine, Sweden’s
Jefferson Magazine, and the cover of
Blues and Rhythm Magazine in the UK.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1955, Memphis Gold Chester was the thirteenth child of fourteen. His father was a musician and introduced his son to the guitar at the tender age of 4. By the age of 8, he was a regular on historic Beale Street in Memphis where he played the guitar and danced for pocket change from the crowd. At the age of 12, his guitar skills were honed learning licks at the knee of legendary Delta picker and gospel player Reverend Robert “Tim” Wilkins.
After decades of juke joints, blues festivals, and Navy military duty, Memphis Gold landed in the nation’s capital, Washington, DC. Friendships and regular performances with famed blues harp player, Charlie Sayles (W.C. Handy Award nominee, JSP Records) and noted D.C.-based bluesman Bobby Parker made Memphis Gold a regular staple of the DC music scene.
In 1995, he served a year-long stint as lead guitarist in Debra Coleman’s touring band (with the late Willie Hicks on bass). By 1998, he issued his first and very well-received eponymous CD which was produced by Parker, the beginning of a stretch of very successful album releases.
In February 1996, he rescued 11 children in a Marc/ Amtrac train wreck in Silver Spring Maryland, and was honored for his efforts.
2008 posed a dramatic turning point in Memphis Gold’s career. In a life threatening accident, he fell 35 feet to the ground from up in a tree, breaking his back in three places. Doctors stated that there was very little chance of him ever being able to walk again. Despite these early warnings, he continued to write songs for
Gator Gon’Bitechu!, the early 2009 album release, from his hospital bed. Through rigorous rehabilitation and pure determination to continue performing, Memphis Gold has recovered his mobility and is once again taking stages coast to coast.
The blues world continues to discover and love the music of Memphis Gold.
Living Blues Magazine placed him on the cover of their February/March 2009 edition, and Gibson Guitars recognized Memphis Gold by awarding him with a custom guitar and endorsement. He was thrilled to perform at the Red, White and Blue Ball, the Official Military Inaugural Ball in January 2009. His music can be found on BB King’s Blues on XM Radio, Comcast Music on Demand, and radio stations throughout the world.
This is no flash in the pan artist. He is, as they say, The real deal.
