TODD ALBRIGHT is a country blues, twelve-string guitar player and vocalist based in Detroit, Michigan. Grounded in the pre-war era of the blues tradition (1880-1939), Todd is a mindful purveyor of blues history. His repertoire upholds musical pillars such as Blind Willie McTell, George Carter, Blind Lemon Jefferson and Leadbelly. His life’s work continues the distinguished tradition of the very roots of American music as told by the African American musicians who created it. Todd Albright joined Jack White’s Third Man Records in 2016.
Todd’s vigorous, gritty and soulful performances are accompanied by stories of the masters and a deep intuitive sense of respect for craft, providing audiences with a meaningful experience while creating a transcendent moment. One of the top blues guitarists in the world, Todd is the only contemporary twelve string player in his genre.
Todd began playing the blues while still a teenager, some twenty-five years ago. Initially, he was drawn to the sound of the finger-picked style and has since immersed himself in the foundational music and narratives of American culture. Over the years, Todd has shared the stage with renowned artists such as Cedric Burnside, The Wood Brothers, Corey Harris, Charlie Parr, Roy Book Binder, and Paul Geremia. Todd has been featured in major publications such as Living Blues Magazine, MOJO Magazine, Premier Guitar Magazine, American Blues Scene, and mentioned on the cover of Acoustic Guitar Magazine. In 2019, Todd produced a 12-string guitar instructional video with the famed Stefan Grossman Guitar Workshop. In addition, Todd has filmed live sessions with Acoustic Guitar Magazine, Fretboard Journal, KEXP, and Daytrotter/Paste Magazine.
Todd’s first full-length LP, Todd Albright, was released by Lo & Behold! Records & Books in 2014 (Hamtramck, MI). His second album, Fourth Floor Visitor, was released by Jett Plastic Recordings in Detroit, Michigan (2017). In 2017, Jack White’s Third Man Records released Todd’s critically acclaimed album, Detroit Twelve String: Blues & Rags. Todd’s long awaited fourth album, produced by legendary folk icon Charlie Parr, is set for release on Misfortune Records in 2026.
DIANA DARBY was born and raised in Houston, Texas. She spent her hot Texas summers walking along railroad tracks, picking wild blackberries and listening to the made-up songs in her head. She was a loner, often sitting on the playground steps watching other children. She learned to observe through the pain of isolation. Her only salvation was her pen and paper. Her words were her oxygen.
Anxious to leave her chaotic family behind, Diana graduated from high school at sixteen and moved to Los Angeles to attend USC where she graduated with a B.A. in theatre and a minor in music. She pursued acting, briefly, but auditioning only reinforced her feelings of invisibility. She quickly realized the power of the pen and returned to USC to pursue an M.F.A. in writing and directing from the film school. After graduation, Diana applied to and was accepted into the Warner Bros. Writing Workshop. She was one of only two graduates of the program selected to be put on staff as a comedy writer at Warner Bros.
When Diana’s position with Warner Bros. ended, Diana packed up and moved to Nashville to pursue her love of poetry and song. She worked in Nashville as a lyricist, writing songs with established writers who’d had cuts with Nanci Griffith, John Prine and the Dixie Chicks. After co-writing for a year, Diana met Mark Linn (Delmore Recording Society) on a rainy Halloween night. Mark was intrigued by the more primitive songs Diana was writing on her own. After hearing her sing them, Mark was anxious to get her into the studio. The two flew to Brooklyn to record Diana’s first album, “Naked Time,” with Mark Spencer. The album was hailed as, “conjuring visions of a wounded mind running amok in a flowing field of flowers” – CMJ; and was featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition. A multi-city tour across the United States followed.
Since that first album, Diana has released four more albums: “Fantasia Ball”, “The Magdalene Laundries”, “I.V.” and “Diana Darby’s Last Words to The Planet.” She has toured Europe and the U.S. extensively, been a guest on NPR programs, “Here and Now” and “The State of Things”, and on multiple tribute albums. Her rendition of “Jesus Was A Capricorn”, for a Kris Kristofferson tribute album, was singled out as a “revelation” in the SF Weekly, and caught the ear of Italian label “Loveboat Records”, who licensed her album, “Fantasia Ball”, for release in Italy and arranged a month-long performance tour. That tour led to more invitations to perform throughout Europe. Along with touring, Diana has continued pursuing her poetry, writing over fifteen hundred poems and publishing four chapbooks. Her love of language and rhythm, and her willingness to be vulnerable on and off the page, makes her a compelling artist with a voice worthy of being heard.