Taking influence from early blues legends, folk, and psychedelic and prog rock, to name a few, versatile guitarist, singer, and songwriter Thomas Abban ("ah-BAHN") honed his playing skills as a teenager in Minneapolis. Balancing bluesy virtuosity with elements of measured trad rock and melodic folk, he made his recording debut in 2017 with A Sheik's Legacy. Thomas Abban started playing the guitar at the age of eight but started taking it more seriously around age 12, when his family moved from Wales to the U.S., settling in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A student of the blues at an early age, he counted Blind Willie Johnson among his favorites. He later came to appreciate the work of icons of other genres, including James Brown, Bob Dylan, and Bob Marley. Abban could be seen working out his eclectic style in three-hour sets at local coffee houses by the age of 17, often using his acoustic guitar as a percussion instrument as well as a stringed one when playing solo. In mid-2017, the then 21-year-old Abban's full-length debut, A Sheik's Legacy, was released digitally via Deck Night. The self-produced album featured Abban on not only guitar but bass, piano, and drums. RCA took notice and reissued A Sheik's Legacy in multiple formats in September 2018. ~ Marcy Donelson