2012 BLUES MUSIC AWARD NOMINEE
★B.B. King Entertainer of the Year, Band of the Year
★Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year
★Contemporary Blues Album of the Year for Tommy Castro Presents The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue - Live!
2012 INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION WINNER
Blues Category award for "Hard Believer" - title song to his
acclaimed album
Featured on the 2012 BMA nominated DVD, All Jams on Deck.
4 BLUES MUSIC AWARD WINS FOR 2010!
★Band of the Year
★B.B. King Entertainer of the Year
★Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year
★Contemporary Blues Album of the Year - Hard Believer
HARD BELIEVER
#1 Peak on ROOTS MUSIC CHART
#1 Best Blues Album of 2009 - Living Blues Awards Readers' Poll
#1 Blues Album of 2009 - France's GUITARIST MAGAZINE
MOJO MAGAZINE #3 Blues Album of 2009
BILLBOARD BLUES CHART Top 15 for over 16 months
2010 Named Best Blues Band at BLUES BLAST MUSIC AWARDS
2010 MAPLE BLUES AWARD NOMINEE for B.B. King International Artist Of The Year
2008 BLUES MUSIC AWARD WINNER
★B.B. King Entertainer of the Year
★Contemporary Album of the Year for Painkiller
Collaborations with B.B. King - 80+ dates, John Hiatt, John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, Dr. John, Elvin Bishop, Carlos Santana, Los Lobos, Delbert McClinton and many more
"Tommy Castro Day" declared October 14 2006 by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, in recognition of his musical achievements and his support of various community projects
"Tommy Castro & The Painkillers are a crackling, stripped down band [with] plenty of grit… Castro is…a top notch musician, but what sets him apart from the pack is the ability to lift any number of styles from his kit bag and let fly." - Jambands.com (April 2012)
"Tommy Castro has the voice and the sound to touch everybody's heart." - Carlos Santana
"Everyone is at the top of their game with an electricity and vein-popping excitement that can only be generated when musicians feed off each other live. Castro in particular seems to relish his master of ceremonies role…and displays his sometimes underappreciated guitar skills…The disc moves from one highlight to the next with the primary detriment being that it's not a double CD…Perhaps volume two is in order."
- Review of Tommy Castro Presents The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue Live!, AllMusic.com
"Castro has made about a dozen albums over 14 years, and unless I've missed one, Hard Believer is his best yet…he sings and plays a set of savvy songs with great concentration and little flamboyance. The sort of record that gives blues-rock a good name."
- Mojo
"Timely, topical blues for the 21st century."
- Blurt
"Here's a blues musician who clearly knows his strengths…A soul vocalist who occasionally brings to mind Delbert McClinton, Castro wouldn't have any trouble fronting a top-notch band without ever playing a note, yet his guitar work and songwriting are equally impressive."
- The Washington Post
"It's obvious with Hard Believer that Castro is upping the ante. In the R&B world of 2009, he has to be considered one of the top contenders for the crown."
- Vintage Guitar
"A gifted lead guitarist firmly in touch with his lyrical voice, Castro writes an alluring blend of straight ahead blues and Memphis-style soul. While he has his own definable sound, Castro calls to mind great blues-rock players such as Billy Gibbons of Z.Z.Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan and even Duane Allman."
- Blues Revue
