Bex Marshall: A Blues Trailblazer Reinvents the Roots

Born amid the windswept coasts of Plymouth, Devon, Bex Marshall has emerged as one of Britain’s fiercest blues voices—both vocally and on guitar. Drawing from her aristocratic lineage and Irish-Romany mystique, she began her musical journey at just 11, when she received a 1963 Gibson Hummingbird from her uncle. That pivotal gift launched her into an odyssey of classical, flamenco, ragtime, country-pickin’, rock and homegrown blues—ultimately forging her signature hybrid style of slide, ragtime, blues-rock, and soulful roots playing rockandbluesmuse.com+13bexmarshall.com+13thatrecordgotmehigh.com+13.

The Sound & the Soul

Marshall’s voice channels heartache with raw, piercing emotion—a “melting pot of old black woman’s heartache and rock diva soul” according to multiple outlets mnprmagazine.com+8bexmarshall.com+8bexmarshall.com+8. Her guitar isn’t just accompaniment; it tells its own stories—“technical ragtime and ballsy slide” delivering resonator magic that peers call “the goal” mnprmagazine.com+3rockandbluesmuse.com+3mnprmagazine.com+3.

From Croupier to Guitar Nomad

Bex Marshall: The Road-Warrior Queen of Blues-Rock Returns with Fortuna

For British blues guitar virtuoso Bex Marshall, music has always been a passport, at 17, Marshall took her first steps into the world—working as a croupier on cruise ships and playing underground poker in Amsterdam. She hitchhiked across Australia, backpacking with her guitar, collecting travel stories that fueled her songwriting drstrings.com+3road-dawg.com+3thatrecordgotmehigh.com+3. Those years imbued her music with grit and global perspective: from smoky American blues clubs to vibrant Brazilian stages, from festival sets flanked by bikers in Iowa to close calls with snakes and crocodiles on Australia’s Cape Tribulation Road bluestownmusic.nl+14americanbluesscene.com+14americanbluesscene.com+14.

Breaking Ground & Making Waves

After releasing Kitchen Table (2008), her debut The House of Mercy (2012) launched her reputation internationally—earning UK Blues Awards recognition and DownBeat’s four-star praise drstrings.com+5bexmarshall.com+5bexmarshall.com+5. She’s also a four-time European Blues Award nominee and a winner of the Best British Blues Vocalist poll in 2013 mnprmagazine.com+14bexmarshall.com+14road-dawg.com+14.

“Fortuna”: A Decade in the Making

Marshall’s long-awaited fourth album, Fortuna, dropped March 1, 2024 via Dixiefrog Records. Built across lockdown and polished in a week at London’s Snakepit Studios, its a celebration of her global journey and unbridled artistry. After a decade-long hiatus from studio recording, Fortuna marks a seismic return, capturing the electric energy of live performance with the polish of a studio gem drstrings.com+12bexmarshall.com+12clickrollboom.co.uk+1 it features nine originals and one instrumental—all infused with funk, gospel, blues-rock, and roots spirit bluesrockreview.com+12rockandbluesmuse.com+12mnprmagazine.com+12.

On guitar, she reigns supreme—her slide work has drawn comparisons to Bonnie Raitt and Derek Trucks, Influences like Tina Turner, Janis Joplin, Eric Clapton, John Lee Hooker, and Gary Moore shine through in Marshall’s powerful vocals and dynamic guitar work bluesmatters.com+8grande-rock.com+8uber-rock.co.uk+8. From the tear-stained reflection of “5 AM”—a bluesy ballad echoing late-night regrets—to the funk-rock swagger of the title track’s instrumental, her guitar fingers tell stories of passion, loss, defiance, and survival music-news.com+13uber-rock.co.uk+13therockpit.net+13.

Standout singles include:

Backing her is an all-star ensemble: Richie Stevens (drums), Toby Baker (keys), B.J. Cole (dobro), Robert “Red” Daniels (bass), gospel singer Shola Adegoroye, and more—a lineup that fuels Fortuna’s rich textures bluesrockreview.com+12rockandbluesmuse.com+12music-news.com+12.

Critical & Fan Reception

Fortuna has earned acclaim far and wide:

What’s Next

Post-Fortuna, Marshall has launched a headline UK tour starting September 2024, including her Edinburgh debut. She’ll also appear live on BBC Radio 2 with Cerys Matthews and is nominated in the Blues Blast Music Awards for Rock Blues Album of the Year road-dawg.com+2bluesmatters.com+2rockposer.com+2.

Why It Matters

In a genre often dominated by familiar faces, Bex Marshall stands out as a boundary-pushing force. She combines technical flair, narrative depth, a global outlook, and a gritty, soulful presence that feels both timeless and refreshingly bold.

For fans of powerful guitar music rooted in tradition yet unafraid to transcend it, Bex Marshall’s Fortuna and her electrifying live performances are essential listening. She’s not just keeping the blues alive—she’s helping redefine it for a new era.

Tracklist Highlights – Fortuna

  1. Preaching to the Choir
  2. Dirty Water
  3. I Can’t Look You in the Eye
  4. 5 am
    …and six more deeply woven blues-rooted stories americanbluesscene.com+14rockandbluesmuse.com+14mnprmagazine.com+14.

Bex Marshall’s journey—from Devon gatherings to global stages—is as winding and powerful as her slide guitar lines. With Fortuna, she invites us all to ride the wave.

Let me know if you’d like a deep dive into specific songs, her songwriting retreat in Cyprus, or touring anecdotes!

“Bex Marshall is a heartwrenching singer, a dazzling guitarist and a charismatic stage presence. Whatever she does, you’re in safe hands … but, heh. not TOO safe.” CHARLES SHAAR MURRAY