Chad Nordhoff's Page

In 1989 I got my first guitar though I had been pickin’ around on my dad’s guitar for a while before that. Those classic 80’s “hair bands” are what got me started. Through the early years it was all about Hard Rock and Metal. I never set out to be a “bluesman”, it just seems to work out that way. Personally, I’d rather sound like Waylon Jennings but that can be tough.

When I was sixteen I was in a car accident and suffered a severe vocal chord injury. The paramedics said my throat looked like hamburger and the doctor said I would never sing. Nearly two years passed before I could even speak in more than a whisper. I slowly began to sing along with my country and blues tapes in the car. Hank Williams Jr., Howlin’ Wolf, David Allen Coe, and Muddy Waters all helped me regain my speaking voice. I continued to play guitar in a heavy rock band from my hometown of Bloomington, Indiana.

After the band parted ways in 2001 I went solo. It was essential that I keep playing, it’s about all I can do. Though my voice was still really rough I began singing at local open mics and blues jams. People liked my music and I generally stood out from the crowd. Since things were working out I formed a band and stayed very busy with a rotating line-up of local musicians. The Bootleg Preacher Band played about every venue in the area. When that whole thing sort of ran it’s course, I started traveling. It wasn’t touring as much as rambling around with a guitar just to see where it took me.

The rambling brought me to Memphis so many times I finally moved here in 2007. Now I’m playin’ the blues for a living, mainly on Beale Street. I have a lot of original material, three self produced CDs so far and there’s plenty more where that came from. It’s getting better too. I also do some outlaw country, folk, rock, and even a little southern soul lately.

These days I bring my “Electrifying Acoustic One Man Show” to many venues that otherwise only host full bands. I make a lot of noise for one guy. My mix of music keeps people talking and coming back for more. Come and check it out for yourself. You’ll believe it when you see it.

Chad Nordhoff – Memphis, TN