Christopher Wyze & the Tellers

by Dawn Jones

“Sign out front says, ‘Blues Every Saturday Night…’”

So begins singer-songwriter Christopher Wyze’s haunting bio-ballad Life Behind Bars. And so it goes with Wyze’s music: out front, a monster dose of blues…inside, a mesmerizing array of stone-cold storytelling.

Twenty years a frontman, singing blues covers, Christopher Wyze has emerged as a powerful lyricist and vocal stylist of his original music. And with the release of his debut album, Stuck in the Mud, blues critics the world over have showered praise on the experienced newcomer and his band:

• “captivating...powerful” — Keys & Chords (The Netherlands)
• “consummate storyteller...memorable songs” — Living Blues
• “vivid and cinematic” — Big City Rhythm & Blues
• “extraordinary stories” — Era Jazzu (Poland)
• “hypnotic...real roots blues” — La Hora Del Blues (Spain)
• “hugely entertaining “— Blue Notes & Conversations
• “master storyteller” — Blues Blast
• “this disc blew me away” — Blue Monday Monthly
• “Timeless storytelling blues” — Rocking Magpie (UK)
• “downhome...steeped in the blues” — Chicago Blues Guide
• “stellar...impressive musicians” — Global Blues News
• “authentic artist…a bluesman — Zicazic (France)
• “a new name...won’t be for long” — Blues in Britain
• (More reviews here and here)

Steeped in America’s music
Wyze, raised in southern Indiana and influenced by his time in Mississippi, brings to the blues a distinct sound and storytelling style. Keen listeners will detect in Wyze’s stylings a kit-bag of roots music artistry fashioned in days gone by: from Delta and classic blues, hill country stompers, and down in the mud swampers, to rock-n-roll, Americana and even a bit of country blues. And hear this: the world has taken notice.

Global songwriting acclaim – a rapid rise
None other than Nashville Songwriters Association International named Wyze a "One to Watch" songwriter in December 2023. And within days of its release in mid-2024, radio stations and listeners worldwide catapulted Christopher Wyze & The Tellers and Stuck in The Mud onto the blues charts:  the Independent Blues Broadcasters Association Top 40 (UK), The Big Blues Chart Top 50 (Global), Blues Actu Radio Top 20 (France), Australian International Blues Airplay Top 25, Blues Top 3, Radio Guitar One, U.S. College and Community Radio Top 30 Blues, Big City Rhythm & Blues Junior’s Jukebox Top 11 (US), and Collectif des Radios Blues Top 20 (France, Belgium, Canada), among others.

Peaking at number two on the Roots Music Report (RMR) Blues Album Chart, the album has seen five songs reach the weekly RMR Top 50 Blues Song Chart based on worldwide radio play. Most notably, Back to Clarksdale captured the #1 song spot in July, 2024. In all, the 13 tracks from Stuck in the Mud have been streamed by thousands of listeners across 89 countries, with notably popularity in Europe and the United States.

Historic recording spots – acclaimed musicians
Wyze and the Tellers recorded Stuck in the Mud in two separate sessions bang in the middle of America’s most celebrated music meccas – Muscle Shoals, Alabama and Clarksdale, Mississippi, in the Juke Joint Chapel at the Shack Up Inn.

To infuse his stories with a timeless musical heartbeat, Wyze enlisted the help of producer Ralph Carter, accomplished multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and performer. Carter reached prominence early in his career as tour Musical Director, bass player and song co-writer with rock and roll luminary Eddie Money. Ralph co-wrote the smash-hit Shakin', half the songs on Money's Platinum No Control LP and co-wrote eight Stuck in the Mud tracks with Christopher Wyze. Muscle Shoals sessions featured artists Eric Deaton (guitar and background vocals, previous work with The Black Keys and Hank Williams Jr.), Gerry Murphy (bass), Brad Kuhn (keys, a FAME Studios musician), and Justin Holder (drums/percussion, FAME Studios musician). Singer-songwriter Cary Hudson, former frontman for the beloved rock band Blue Mountain, and called "a national treasure" by Jason Isbell. Hudson joined forces with Wyze to co-write two songs on the album. He joined the band for the Clarksdale sessions, which also included Englishman Douglas Banks (drums) and Teller mainstay Gerry Murphy on bass.

The New American Storytellers
Wyze’s captivating lyrics and vocals—soaring to joyful, soulful altitudes one moment before diving into deep, resonant lows the next—are what keep listeners coming back. Some stories are meant to be told, and Christopher Wyze & the Tellers have emerged as today’s new storytellers in the blues scene. A word of advice: listen.

Dawn Jones writes about the blues and Americana music scenes and the artists who bring the genres to life.