Zak Hobbs
{{short description|British recording artist; singer, songwriter, guitarist}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| background = person
| name = Zak Hobbs
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = London, England
| genre = Folk rock
| occupation = {{hlist|Singer|songwriter|musician}}
| instrument = {{hlist|Guitar|mandolin|vocals}}
| years_active =
| label = {{hlist|Fantasy Records|Concord Music}}
| current_member_of = Thompson
| associated_acts = Richard Thompson, Eliza Carthy, The Rails, Sunny Ozell
| past_member_of =
| spouse =
| module = {{Infobox person
| embed = yes
| family = Richard Thompson (grandfather)
Linda Thompson (grandmother)
Teddy Thompson (uncle)
Kami Thompson (aunt)
| website ={{URL|zakhobbs.com}}
}}
}}
Zak Hobbs is an English guitarist, songwriter and singer. Born in London, he is the son of Muna Hobbs, the eldest daughter of English musicians Richard and Linda Thompson.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fretsandrefrains.com/counselors|title=COUNSELORS|website=Frets and Refrains}}
Career
Hobbs was initially influenced heavily by music from the folk music revival of the 1960s and then the 1970s songwriter movement. He has been described as having a "British-accented Melancholy"{{Cite web|url=https://www.zakhobbs.com/about|title=About | Zak Hobbs|website=Music Site}} and has worked alongside artists including Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Emmylou Harris, Martin Carthy, Eliza Carthy and Martin Simpson.
He appears on Family, the debut studio album by folk rock family ensemble Thompson, released by Fantasy Records, part of Concord Music, on 17 November 2014.{{Cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/family-mw0002740869 |title=Family - Thompson |via=www.allmusic.com}}
Based in the UK, Hobbs works as a solo artist and as a guitarist with The Rails, Sunny Ozell and others. He is an advanced student of Richard Thompson's "hybrid picking technique", and has taught it for the last seven years.
He issued the all acoustic Falling on Deaf Ears E.P. in 2019, described by producer John Chelew as "Singular AND traditional, a tough combo".{{Cite web|url=https://www.zakhobbs.com/music|title=Music | Zak Hobbs|website=Music Site}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/falling-on-deaf-ears-mw0003294316 |title=Falling on Deaf Ears - Zak Hobbs |via=www.allmusic.com}}
In May and June 2024 he was a member of Richard Thompson's UK touring band for the album Ship to Shore.{{Cite news |issn=1756-3224 |oclc=60623878 |language=en-GB |newspaper=The Guardian |department=Music |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/may/29/richard-thompson-review-every-note-laid-bare-in-stripped-down-set-richard-thompson-york-barbican |title=Richard Thompson review – a showcase for decades of exquisite craft |first=Christopher |last=Lord |date=29 May 2024 |accessdate=15 June 2014}} Reviewing the gig at the Bristol Beacon, Bristol, for Louder Than War, Elfyn Griffith said, "Grandson Zak has clearly learnt from the best and compliments well with his own breaks, sparring with gramps on guitar and mandolin."{{Cite web |url=https://louderthanwar.com/richard-thompson-bristol-beacon-live-review/ |title=Richard Thompson: Bristol Beacon - Live Review |first=Elfyn |last=Griffith |date=30 May 2024}}
In July 2024, Hobbs performed at the release concert for Proxy Music, an album of the music of Linda Thompson, at London's Cadogan Hall.{{Cite web|url=https://cadoganhall.com/whats-on/proxy-music/|title=Proxy Music... | Cadogan Hall|website=cadoganhall.com}}{{Cite news |last=McCormick |first=Neil |date=2024-07-20 |title=Linda Thompson presents Proxy Music: More of an impromptu family shindig than a slickly presented show |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/concerts/linda-thompson-presents-proxy-music-cadogan-hall/ |access-date=2024-10-20 |work=The Telegraph |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{AllMusic|artist|zak-hobbs-mn0003184593}}
- {{Discogs artist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hobbs, Zak}}
Category:British acoustic guitarists
Category:British folk rock musicians
Category:English folk guitarists
Category:English male guitarists
Category:English rock guitarists
Category:English male songwriters
Category:Musicians from London