“ What makes Big Joe so Big? For sure he's a big talent. Why does every venue in The Valley want Joe Fitz on their stage? Because he's more than an entertainer, not just a pretty face with a harp in his mouth, not just a first class purveyor of the blues and roots tradition. It's his soul, large, wide, real, and molasses sweet. That's what attracts people. He's one of those rare folks who you feel you are "in the presence of" and better off for it. He isn't just singing for us. He sings to the spirit that moves within him, this gentle man.”
Project Name
Guitar/Vocals/Harmonica: Big Joe Fitz was born into a musical family in New York City and was drawn to the blues early on. At that time it was still possible to see the biggest names in blues in the small clubs of Greenwich Village, and early encounters with Muddy Waters, BB King, Paul Butterfield and others set him firmly on the blues highway. An extraordinary encounter with Howlin’ Wolf at The Newport Folk Festival in 1966 and meeting Lightnin’ Hopkins at the 1st Ann Arbor Blues Festival in 1969 sealed the deal on a lifelong devotion to the blues. In the 1970s he performed in and around the New York City area with the guitarist Smokin’ Sal Cafiero. The 1980s found Big Joe living in New York’s Hudson Valley Region and beginning his long tenure at radio station WDST which ran for 30 years Big Joe Fitz is a warm and engaging performer. “My goal is to connect with the audience… that’s what I’m thinking about every time I step on the stage.” He is a singer of uncommon sensitivity whose roots are deep in the Blues but whose music also combines elements of jazz, swing, funk, and soul. As a performer Big Joe has opened for or shared the stage with such notable names as The Holmes Brothers, Marcia Ball, Mighty Sam McClain, Eddie Kirkland, Little Sammy Davis, Madeleine Peyroux, Janiva Magness and more
Press Photos
Big Joe Fitz & The Lo-Fi's From left to right...Robert Bard, Eric Parker, Big Joe Fitz, and Mark Dziuba
From the radio years... Photo credit: Franco Vogt
'In The Zone' @ The Sullivan Blues Festival 2012. photo by John Rocklin