Mike Zito

Guitarist Mike Zito was born in St. Louis, Missouri on November 19, 1970. He got his start in music by singing at local events at a young age. As a teenager he picked up the guitar and began playing regularly around his hometown. By 2008, Zito was releasing records on his own self-titled label while touring the U.S; 2008 was also the year he signed with Eclecto Groove Records and released Today. Pearl River was released the following year, and Zito was awarded Song of the Year at the 2010 Blues Music Awards for the title track off that album. Zito released his final session on Eclecto Groove, Greyhound, in 2011. A track taken from that session, "Roll On," was featured on the TV show Sons of Anarchy. Also in 2011, Zito formed Royal Southern Brotherhood with Cyril Neville, guitarist Devon Allman (son of Gregg Allman), bassist Charlie Wooton (of Zydefunk), and Yonrico Scott (former drummer for the Derek Trucks Band). The group released its self-titled debut album on the Ruf label in 2012. In 2013, Zito featured his new backing band the Wheel on the studio album Gone to Texas. Well-received, the album garnered a Blues Music Award nomination for "Rock Blues Album of the Year." The Wheel were also on board for the guitarist's Songs from the Road in 2014. In 2016, Zito delivered the Tom Hambridge-produced Make Blues Not War, and two years later he delivered First Class Life, which debuted at number one on Billboard's Top Blues Albums Chart. 2019 brought two more full-length releases from the prolific Zito, starting with the concert set Live from the Top, followed by the guest-heavy Rock n' Roll: A Tribute to Chuck Berry, which featured Sonny Landreth, Joe Bonamassa, Walter Trout, and many others. ~ Al Campbell