Artur Menezes

Artur Menezes (born July 15, 1985) is a Brazilian blues and blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter, based in Los Angeles, California.

American magazine Guitar Player said about Menezes: "His playing is a distinctive blend of fiery, hard-rocking blues that at times borders on shred, combined with an ability to effortlessly switch gears into swinging, jazz grooves. His Brazilian roots add a unique flavor to the mix and further distinguish his playing from that of his contemporaries. Menezes’ songwriting sparkles as it switches between straight-ahead blues and funk-flavored workouts, and his vocals channel the deep emotional content of his songs as effectively as his guitar playing."

Life and career Artur Menezes was born in Brazil and was interested in music as a young child. His first interest was rock, spurred on by his elder brother. Menezes spent a lot of time alone growing up as his parents had separated, and his mother worked long hours as a university teacher and then part time singer in the evenings. Due to family circumstances, Menezes lived briefly in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in 2006, 2007, and 2011. While there he had the opportunity to participate in jam sessions involving John Primer, Linsey Alexander, Phil Guy, and Jimmy Burns, among others. These took place in Chicago bars and clubs including Kingston Mines, Smokey Daddy, Rosa's, Vine Tastings and Katherina's.

In 2009, in an effort to disseminate and expand access to blues across Brazil, Artur Menezes, alongside musicians Leonardo Vasconcelos and Roberto Lessa, co-founded the society 'Casa do Blues' ('House of Blues') in Ceara State, Brazil, which promotes weekly shows with free admissions, workshops and lectures about the blues. He remained on the board of the project until early 2013.

In 2010, Menezes recorded his debut album, Early To Marry, which was released by Tratore Brasil.

In 2012, Menezes opened for Buddy Guy's South American tour in Brazil. commented "I guess it has been the best moment of my career so far. I had the great chance to play with him in a jam session on his club Buddy Guy's Legends, in 2011".

In 2014, Menezes was the headliner at the Augustibluus Festival in Haapsalu, Estonia, and he also performed at various club dates across the UK. In 2015, he undertook a tour in Mexico.

The following year, Menezes was the winner of the "Gibson/Albert King Award" for Best Guitarist by the Blues Foundation. He also entered alongside his backing ensemble the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, where they took third place in the Best Band category. The album contained ten tracks all composed by Menezes.

In 2019, Menezes was selected by Eric Clapton to perform at the Crossroads Guitar Festival, held at Madison Square Garden, New York Menezes's fifth album, Fading Away, was released in October 2020 through Vizztone Records, and featured one song with Joe Bonamassa. It was also produced by Josh Smith. France, Ireland, Belgium, Portugal, Poland, Romania, and Estonia.

In 2023, Menezes performed for the second time at Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival, sharing the stage with Christone "Kingfish" Ingram and Grace Bowers. He also headlined the Best of Blues and Rock Festival in Brazil alongside Buddy Guy, Steve Vai, and others.

His latest EP, AM/FM (2023), produced by Doug Boehm, was released by Black Hill Records. He chose the title AM/FM as an acronym for 'Artur Menezes Fuzz Machine'. Rocking fuzz pedals for "a psychedelic, nasty, and vintage sound", the name became a joke in the studio when the producer asked Menezes to name the Pro Tools session. He lives up to this moniker with the unmistakable and undeniable fuzzy distorted tone. while second single is a reinterpretation of D'Angelo's "Till It's Done (Tutu)".

When not on tour, Artur Menezes also teaches guitar at the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, Los Angeles, and has online courses and masterclasses.