Tab Benoit Returns From a 13 Year Hiatus With His First Number One Album in Decades

A four time Grammy nominated swamp blues legend steps back into the spotlight, joined by a Belgian born powerhouse who’s built her own reputation busking her way into the American blues tradition.

Thirteen years is a long time for any artist to step away, and an even longer time to come back stronger than before. Tab Benoit has managed exactly that, and on Wednesday, October 21, the Soul of the Swamp Tour brings his gritty Delta swamp blues back to The Vogel, joined by rising blues powerhouse Ghalia Volt.

Benoit has built a more than three decade career on the strength of his soulful, unmistakably Louisiana sound, earning four Grammy nominations, five Blues Music Awards including two wins for BB King Entertainer of the Year, and an induction into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame along the way. His 2013 record Medicine, co-produced with Anders Osborne, brought home three additional Blues Music Awards, cementing his reputation as one of the genre’s most consistently respected working artists.

A Comeback With Real Chart Weight Behind It

After that run of success, Benoit stepped away from music entirely for thirteen years. His return, I Hear Thunder, released on his own label Whiskey Bayou Records, marked his first number one on the Billboard charts in more than three decades, a genuinely remarkable comeback for an artist who could have easily faded from the scene during such a long absence. Over his career, Benoit has recorded and performed alongside an extraordinary list of blues and roots royalty, including Dr. John, Willie Nelson, Allen Toussaint, James Cotton, and Charlie Musselwhite, a roster that speaks to the depth of respect he commands within the genre.

A Rising Force Sharing the Bill

Ghalia Volt brings her own remarkable story to this tour. Born in Belgium and raised on the streets of Brussels, she carved her path busking before diving fully into the American South’s blues tradition, eventually building a career armed with little more than a guitar, foot drums, and raw talent. Her latest album, Shout Sister Shout!, hit number two on the Billboard Blues Chart, marking her third consecutive top three release. She’s since captivated audiences at major festivals like New Orleans’ Jazz Fest and Telluride Blues & Brews, and even caught the attention of 60 Minutes producers while performing in Clarksdale, Mississippi, the literal birthplace of the blues.

Why This Bill Pairs So Well Together

Pairing a returning legend with a genre rising star gives this show a genuinely compelling arc, one artist proving that authentic swamp blues can still top the charts after decades away, the other proving that same tradition still has room to grow in entirely new directions. Between Benoit’s hard earned comeback and Volt’s rapidly rising profile, this is a bill built on real substance rather than nostalgia alone, offering blues fans two distinct but complementary chapters of the genre’s ongoing story.

---

Explore New Jersey covers the state’s live blues and roots music scene, from legendary comebacks to the rising artists carrying that tradition forward. Check back for more concert coverage all season long.