Eddie 9V has an endless stockpile of cool stories – and you’ll find twelve of them on new studio album ‘Saratoga’, releasing November 22, 2024 on the fabled Ruf label. It’s a record that will thrill both newcomers and fans who have trailed Eddie since the start, showcasing his fresh, fiery spin on Southern soul, blues, rock and funk, with his signature wit and sharp observations of modern America placing him squarely in the here-and-now. “I do think it’s a wonderful road trip album,” he nods.

Eddie 9V has powered up. From the day he first slung a guitar on a local stage, the Georgia-born band leader announced himself as an artist to watch. But in the last few} meteoric years, Eddie’s music has crossed oceans and airwaves, transcending his cult-hero status to become a beacon for fans of real music everywhere. “Eddie 9V is something else,” wrote the UK’s Classic Rock. “A man who genuinely inhabits golden-era American roots, playing the most instinctive blues you’ll hear all year.”

Check out the gig listings and you’ll find this rising star playing a bigger club every time he blows through town. Scan the charts and you’ll find his most recent album, 2022’s ‘Capricorn’, locking horns with the giants of rock ‘n’ roll. “Capricorn debuted at #1 and that was a cool feeling for a week, until Bonnie Raitt kicked us off,” reflects Eddie with a smile. “But hey, that’s a cool story to be able to say…”

We’ve rode shotgun with Eddie for a couple of decades now. Born Brooks Mason in June 1996, he was playing guitar by the age of six (“One of those with the speaker in} it – the most bang for your buck, y’know?”). Even then, manufactured pop music held nothing for him, and his years at Union Grove High School were instead soundtracked by local heroes like Sean Costello, alongside his studies of “older cats” like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Freddie King and Rory Gallagher.

“I wanted to see what made them groove and tick,” he explains. “I’ve been making up lyrics on the spot for years. I believe that came from my Uncle Brian at our family fish fries – he taught me about what made people laugh and what kept the audience’s attention.”