A Journey in music with Ra’Shad The Blues Kid

Born Larry Ra’Shad Lavar McGill and raised in the sleepy town of Laurel, young Ra’Shad was recognized as a unique individual at an early age. The youngest of five children, he was born hearing impaired with a myriad of other health issues from asthma to allergies. In church, he first discovered a love of music from watching the guitarist and keyboard players command the congregation with their every note. The church guitarist, Billy Evans, would allow him to sit with him as he played, and the youngster soaked up each lesson like a sponge.  Ra’Shad was plucking the strings of his first guitar that he got at 16. Teaching himself to play guitar, he formed his own group called The Groove Band at the age of 23. They gained regional attention performing live shows and working their way up the ladder through the Southern soul and blues circuit.

Although all other genres trace their roots to the cotton fields of Mississippi and have evolved into many other facets around the world, the true essence of American music is still kept alive through the music of modern-day bluesmen like Ra’Shad The Blues Kid. Groomed in the same breeding grounds that produced musical greats as diverse as Muddy Waters, Bobby Rush, and Elvis Presley to opera star Leontyne Price. As Ra’Shad was mastering his craft and growing with his band, he was also growing as an artist. As Ra’Shad was mastering his craft and growing with his band, he was also growing as an artist. Working with artists such as Krishunda Echols, LaMorris Williams, Napoleon Demps, Kenne Wayne, J-Wonn, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, and Mr. Sipp, he slowly constructed his own musical style.