Article Contributed by Gratefulweb
Published on 2026-03-13
Photo: Courtesy of Barry Warren
Bex Marshall returns to the United States this spring for a series of tour dates supporting her thrilling new album, Fortuna. Drawing comparisons to Bonnie Raitt and Derek Trucks, along with influences like Tina Turner, Janis Joplin, Eric Clapton, and John Lee Hooker, Marshall’s live performances are defined by precision and propulsion.
A combination of Delta blues phrasing, gospel cadence and rock intensity, Marshall delivers a set built on commanding guitar work and songwriting that reframes life’s hardships with sharp wit and resilience. Her voice carries strength and control, while her guitar moves seamlessly between slide, intricate fingerstyle, and electrified leads that feel rooted in the oldest styles of music, yet unmistakably contemporary.
Fortuna reaffirms Marshall’s reputation as one of the most technically accomplished and forward-thinking artists working in the blues today. Reflecting on the album’s spirit, Marshall explains: “I wanted to take the hard lumps out of life and present them back in a different light, sometimes with humor, sarcasm or resilience, but always with a shed load of tenacity. I wanted iconic guitar sounds, heavenly funky keyboards, roots infected vocal lines with the funk in the trunk.”
Watch the video for her recent single “Preaching to the Choir” here and the gut-wrenching ballad “5AM” here.
US TOUR DATES
March 6 – The Washington – Burlington, IA
March 7 – Middlebrook Farm – Cumming, IA
March 8 – Byrons – Pomeroy, IA
March 10 – Take Shelter – Sidney, NE
March 13 – Kingman Estates – Brighton, CO
March 14 & 15 – Snake River Saloon – Keystone, CO
March 20 – The Blu Pig & Blu Bar – Moab, UT
March 21 – Woodystock – Lake Havasu City, AZ
March 23 – Rhythm Room – Phoenix, AZ
March 24 – Monterey Court – Tucson, AZ
March 25 – The Sand Dollar Lounge – Las Vegas, NV
March 26 – The Mint – Los Angeles, CA
March 27 & 28 – Bird Cage Saloon – Prescott, AZ
April 1 – Whiskey Creek Zócalo – Arenas Valley, NM
April 2 – Tumbleroot Brewery and Distillery – Santa Fe, NM
April 3 – Mine Shaft Tavern – Madrid, NM
April 4 – Refuse Ale House – Medicine Park, OK
April 9 – The Rage Club – Peoria, IL
April 10 – Underberg House Concerts – Cape Girardeau, MO
April 11 – The National Blues Museum – St Louis, MO
April 13 – The Alamo – Springfield, IL
May 29 – Aly Annes Bar and Grill – Dwight, IL
May 30 – Midtown Bar – Cape Girardeau, MO
May 31 – Pops Place – Decatur, IL
June 1 – Bohm Theatre – Albion, MI
June 6 – New Delhi Cafe – Eureka Springs, AR
June 13 – Scout Hall – Cape Girardeau, MO
June 27 – TBC – New York, NY with Karl Dixon
Recorded during an intensive week-long session at Snakepit Studios in North London, Fortuna captures the immediacy of musicians working at full creative momentum. The sessions featured Richie Stevens on drums (Tina Turner, Simply Red, George Clinton), Toby Baker on keyboards (BB King, Eric Clapton, Alexander O’Neil, Sinéad O’Connor), B.J. Cole on Dobro (Elton John, Coldplay, Sting, Shania Twain, Robbie Williams), New York’s Robert Eugene Daniels on bass (RIP “Red Bass”), Aurora Mannola on bass, London’s gospel queen Shola Adegoroye, and legendary Danny Bryan on percussion (Taj Mahal).
The album was engineered, co-produced and mastered by Nick Hunt, whose credits include Dave Stewart, Boy George, Placebo and George Clinton. Continuing a collaboration that began with Marshall’s House of Mercy, the partnership results in a nine-song collection of original material.
The lone cover on the record, a revitalized interpretation of Buddy Miller’s “Dirty Water,” highlights Marshall’s ability to honor tradition without imitation. Rather than replicating the past, she reshapes it through her distinctive tone, phrasing and rhythmic authority.
At a time when the blues is often viewed through a purely historical lens, Marshall demonstrates that the genre remains expansive and vital. Her technical mastery is matched by songwriting that addresses modern realities while remaining grounded in the storytelling lineage that defines the form.
Bex Marshall Bio
Bex Marshall is a UK-based guitarist, singer and songwriter known for her technical command, cross-genre fluency and uncompromising approach to contemporary blues. She is the proud recipient of a UK British Blues Award and a four-time European Blues Award nominee.
Born amid the windswept coasts of Plymouth, Devon, Marshall began her musical journey at just eleven 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.
Music became Marshall’s passport. At seventeen she began working as a croupier on cruise ships and playing underground poker in Amsterdam. She later hitchhiked across Australia, backpacking with her guitar and collecting travel stories that fueled her songwriting.
Those years imbued her music with grit and global perspective—from smoky American blues clubs to vibrant Brazilian stages, festival sets across Middle America, and adventures along Australia’s Cape Tribulation Road. In 2008 she released her debut album Kitchen Table, but it was her 2012 release The House of Mercy that brought international attention and award nominations.
