Ethan Tucker

Ethan Tucker may only be in his early 20s but the self-starting Olympia, WA-native has already made a name for himself, impressing some of the more respected veteran artists in today’s music world. Performing and recording since the age of 16, Tucker has honed his unique blend of acoustic-roots, soul, blues, and reggae, slowly building a dedicated and ever-growing audience, and making friends with some significant musicians in the process.

Tucker’s distinct rasp on the bluesy self-releases Lost Between (2010) Take Me To The Mountains (2007) quickly garnered fans, and the singer-guitarist found himself touring regionally from his then-adopted home of Twin Falls, Idaho. With nary a hesitation and exuding a confidence rarely seen at his age, Tucker once famously strapped his acoustic guitar on his back and appeared as an unannounced and uninvited opening act at a 2010 Steve Miller Band concert. The kid with no fear did in fact play to a full house of unsuspecting fans, yet Tucker’s provocative performance enraptured Miller’s virgin audience. Upon leaving the stage, he was met by the stage manager, the only witness to Tucker’s stunt, who quickly informed him, “You know you’re not getting paid for this kid….right?”

In the same fashion, Tucker struck up a friendship with kindred spirit Michael Franti at a tour stop in Sun Valley, ID. Wielding his acoustic on his back and making several attempts to engage Franti backstage, Tucker was finally given a shot to impress. Franti and his bandmates in Spearhead erupted upon Tucker’s delivery of an early rendition of his song “What They Say” in their dressing room and a new friendship and musical partnership was born on the spot.

After forging their bond over a two-year span, Franti invited Ethan to his San Francisco studio in the spring of 2012 to write and record some music. These sessions yielded the backbones of the songs “Cool Kids” and “Crazy Tonight,” the latter which features Franti on vocals and guitar set to be included on Tucker’s forthcoming.

Tucker was also invited to open for Socal soulmates Slightly Stoopid on a leg of their Spring 2013 tour after making a strong impression on the prolific touring band at a series of Pacific Northwest gigs earlier in the year. Tucker impacted the veteran San Diego band as he wowed their crowd with his solo-acoustic performance. Later, members of Slightly Stoopid started to accompany Ethan on his solo sets, bringing some additional viral fervor on current social networks and archive traders. Franti then reached back to invite Tucker to open a run of upcoming summer dates, including a stop at Red Rocks Amphitheatre and a week-long run August 10-18, 2013 on Spearhead’s forthcoming U.S. trek.

Tucker was bestowed the highest honor of his young career when Jamaican legend Jimmy Cliff selected him to support his “Many Rivers Crossed” tour, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the classic Jimmy Cliff film The Harder They Come and Grammy award winning album Rebirth released in 2012. Ethan continued his touring accolades when he open for G Love and Special Sauce traveling across the Western US in support of the 20th anniversary of their landmark debut album.

Whether with his full band or simply a troubadour with a guitar, Tucker continues to win over crowds, any size, anywhere. The future is an exciting canvas for Ethan Tucker and you can anticipate hearing much more from this true talent in the near future.