“Blues is at the heart of most of my original music and for me  there needs to be an element of it in there for more to feel its authenticity. I don’t  nessasary stick to rigid blues templates I like to throw a spanner in the works now and again. I like to challenge the rules.”

Bex Marshall: Blues For A Good Reason 

UK British Blues Award winner and 4 time European Blues Awards nominee Bex Marshall’s unique style of guitar playing is a combined technique of slide, blues rock, ragtime and 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.

(Bex Marshall / Photo By Ben Radford)

The 14th Annual Woodystock Blues Festival: A Concert for Charity in Support of Autism Awareness, a two-day event taking place Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22, at beautifully scenic Lake Havasu State Park (Arizona), Windsor Beach #4, 699 London Bridge Road. The 2026 Woodystock lineup is the best yet: Bex Marshall, Alastair Greene, Teskey, Jay Hooks, Gemini Dragon, Jay Gordon and Blues Venom, Mitch Perry, Midnight Cabaret, Jason Trombley, The Anonymous Band.

Interview by Michael Limnios         Special Thanks: Doug Deutsch Publicity Services 

How do you think that you have grown as an artist since you first started making music? What has remained the same about your music-making process? 

I have always remained true to my creativity the songs, the stories, the way I write really hasn’t changed because I have always channelled my true creativity, I have grown as an artist by surrounding myself and listening to better artists as much as I could, I started listening intensely when I was eight years old probably actually before that, that’s what you do when you have a passion for music, you absorb it fully because you want it all and by the time I realised my future laid in the music business I’d had already soaked up a wealth of music and that gave me an inherent library of influence to cherry pick from and shadow when creating my own music. The thing I have to remember is that I have never stop learning and never stoped being inspired.

How do you approach the process of songwriting, and are there any specific themes or emotions you tend to explore in your music?

It’s is normally a very natural process for me... I like to sit quietly somewhere and piece together lyrics and melodies in no particular way, I tend to work out the vibe of the song sometimes based on a story line or emotion I have had or witnessed to someone else, the beauty of freedom while writing songs is that you con bend and twist the plot to how you want, nothing is set in stone and you’ll be truly creative you need to be in play time mode... relaxed and ready to push boundaries also remembering that NOTHIN IS WRONG 

Blues is at the heart of most of my original music and for me there needs to be an element of it in there for more to feel its authenticity. I don’t necessary stick to rigid blues templates I like to throw a spanner in the works now and again. I like to challenge the rules.

Blues and heartache go had in hand love is prominent in its many guises of  circumstance and humour is another element I use subtly in my lyrics, sarcasm and cutting edge rhyming slang is something I love to play with.

“It’s the roots of all music and I think every music loving person will find a moment in the blues through their lifetime, especially today’s music being  so over produced and disposable, the blues has a solid foundation in history and generally at some point in life a person will find the blues as for the younger generation it will no doubt be like unearthing a treasure trove when they get there!” (Bex Marshall / Photo by Barry Warren)

How did your collaboration with Woodystock Blues Festival: A Charity Concert For Autism Awareness come about? What is the role of music/musicians in today’s society?

I was originally going to play the year before but sadly it didn’t work out time wise for me Woodystock blues festival kindly invited me back to headline the Saturday night! I am beyond excited!

I love Arizona it truly inspires me, I’m really looking forward to visiting lake Havasu and experiencing the the rustic rural landscape and brilliant cultural vibes, 

The autism charity is very close to my heart and I fully appreciate the incredible healing and calming connection that is so often seen between music and Autism, I’m so happy to be involved! 

What's the balance in music between technique (skills) and soul/emotions? Why is it important to we preserve and spread the blues?

Well… I have been playing guitar since I was 5 years old and all I wanted to do at first was get really really good ...so I started learning lots of instrumentals  and classics… from flamenco to John Williams standards to Scott Joplin ragtime ... then as I got into my teens I started to get more into the blues and rock and ultimately slide... and I spent so much time practicing my playing ...but it was only when I started writing songs which was when I started to understand much more about the focus on highlighting the emotive moments in a song with the feel and phasing coinciding with the melody lines and hooks of the music, the timings etc... a balance of both in vital for great songwriting  and for maximum effect of the sentiment... for me that’s where you find great blues! The blues will always a be relevant as it will always be enjoyed. 

It’s the roots of all music and I think every music loving person will find a moment in the blues through their lifetime, especially today’s music being  so over produced and disposable, the blues has a solid foundation in history and generally at some point in life a person will find the blues as for the younger generation it will no doubt be like unearthing a treasure trove when they get there! 

What keeps a musician passionate over the years? How does your hometown that affect your music?                                                (Bex Marshall / Photo by Barry Warren)

I have never lost my passion for what I do I don’t think many musicians do ...once you have realised your potential to be a  musician and experience the immense pleasure of not just playing great shows but the effect your music actually has on people ...that in itself an incredibly important vocation and the trials tribulations to the sacrifices made to continue your journey was for me never regretted… true musicians never take a day off or cancel  a show, even if they really are on deaths door ...there’s a lot to be said about  a musicians work ethic, it is probably the best in the world! 

My home town sadly had very little influence on my music career. I was gone on the road at 17, cruise ships, backpacking, busking it was life’s lesson on the road and until I settled in London to focus on writing, recording, getting a  record deal and management, basically starting my career, and have never really looked back …from juggling life on survival instinct’s to hard personal life choices, hustling for shows, just making things work somehow and gradually inching my way toward the touring life I lead now. I have travelled pretty much non stop, I realised that music, was not just my passion but it could potently transport me to the far flung corners of the world ...If I worked really hard on my craft and songwriting. I became focused and tenacious and still battle hard for improvement in my shows. 

My hometowns are now London and Cyprus where I host an annual songwriting retreat... inspiring other budding artists to write and perform, when life gives you a bowl of cherries …Pour on the cream and share it out!!! 

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