Roy Book Binder

Life and career Roy Bookbinder was born in Queens, New York City, on October 5, 1943. He released 12 albums and performed at most major blues and folk festivals in the U.S. and Europe, including Merlefest. Notables that have shared the stage with Book Binder include Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, John Jackson, Sonny Terry, Doc Watson, Ray Charles, and Brownie McGhee. He has appeared regularly on Nashville Now. He is listed in Blues Who's Who, by the music historian Sheldon Harris.

Book Binder was a veteran guitar instructor and taught at the Fur Peace Ranch with Jorma Kaukonen and others whose lives have been influenced by Davis. There he demonstrated songs, turnarounds, chord variations, right-hand methods, and many of his own adaptations and unique approaches to the blues.

His album Hillbilly Blues Cats (Rounder) was named as one of the ten most essential acoustic guitar albums of 1992. The 1992 category winners also included Eric Clapton's Unplugged, Lyle Lovett's Joshua Judges Ruth and Neil Young's Harvest Moon.

Bookbinder died on March 3, 2026, at the age of 82.

Albums Travelin' Man (1971, Adelphi Records) Git Fiddle Shuffle (1975, Blue Goose Records) Ragtime Millionaire (1977, Blue Goose) Goin' Back to Tampa (1979, Flying Fish Records) Bookeroo! (1988, Rounder Records) The Hillbilly Blues Cats (1992, Rounder) Live Book... Don't Start Me Talkin... (1994, Rounder) Polk City Ramble (1998, Rounder) The Radio Show (2000, PEGleg Records) Singer Songwriter Bluesman (2001, PEGleg) Live at the Fur Peace Station (2005, PEGleg) In Concert ... Road Songs & Stories (2009, PEGleg) The Good Book (2013, PEGleg) In Concert Road Songs And Stories (2017, PEGleg)