Omar Coleman @ Kingston Mines

Born & Raised on the Westside of Chicago, Omar Coleman is the real deal. A recent nominee for “Most Outstanding Musician” by Living Blues Magazine, his soulful vocals and fiery harmonica skills have entertained audiences from the Windy City to San Francisco, France to Brazil and beyond.

“…confident in his abilities as a singer, harmonica player and songwriter. [Omar] is steeped in the classic blues sounds of his home city yet unafraid to take them in a more contemporary direction.” 

          – – Living Blues Magazine

The music of Omar Coleman, like Chicago itself, contains multitudes. Rooted in the blues, spiked with R&B urgency, and resonant with deep-soul passion, it both moves the heart and galvanizes the feet –“grown folks’ music,” as they say, but abrim with the enthusiasm, fire, and dedication of a young man making his mark on the world. The stories his songs tell are drawn from real life, rich with affirming humanity. 

“We like our blues with a dose of funk, soul and all other kind of stuff”, says Omar Coleman. Eventually these supposedly separate genres run into each other especially with the new generation of blues artists taking over. Even though it was only available for the second half of the year Omar’s Delmark debut Born & Raised (Delmark 840) was #15 on Living Blues magazine’s top radio albums of the year. In the LB review of the album, Roger Gatchet said, “The album bears the mark of an artist who is appropriately confident in his abilities as a singer, harmonica player and songwriter and who is steeped in the classic blues sounds of his home city yet unafraid to take them in a more contemporary direction. It is a pleasure to hear how his sound continues to mature and evolve.”