Mike Zito will be performing on Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. in place of Albert Castiglia at the 2024 Farmington Blues, Brews & BBQ event. Submitted
An announcement was made by Discover Farmington regarding a change in the scheduled performers for next weekend’s event. Albert Castiglia, who was scheduled to perform on. Sept. 21 at 8 p.m., met with unforeseen circumstances and has been forced to cancel. Mike Zito, a popular contemporary blues artist, will fill Castigilia’s vacancy on the schedule and will be a headlining act.
Discover Farmington said that Zito is one of the most lauded artists in the contemporary blues arena today. He began playing guitar at the age of five, and by the time he reached his late teens, he was already a fixture on the local St. Louis music scene. “Pearl River,” the title track of his 2009 album, won Song of the Year at the Blues Music Awards followed by 2011’s Greyhound, which was nominated for Best Rock Blues Album at that year’s Blue Music Awards ceremony.
From 2010 to 2014, Zito produced albums for Samantha Fish, Albert Castiglia, Ally Venable, Jeremiah Johnson, Jimmy Carpenter, and many others. His album, Make Blues Not War, debuted on the Billboard Blues Album Chart at number one and garnered him recognition as the 2018 Rock Blues Artist of the Year at the Blues Music Awards.
In 2019, Zito released a tribute album of fellow St. Louis native and rock ‘n’ roll legend, Chuck Berry, that featured Berry’s own grandson. Rock ’n Roll: A Tribute to Chuck Berry won the Blues Music Award for Blues Rock Album of the Year and Mike also received the Blues Music Award for Blues Rock Artist.
In 2021, Mike released Resurrection on his record label Gulf Coast Records. The new disc was produced by the celebrated Grammy-winner David Z, best known for his long-standing work with Prince. Resurrection won the Blues Music Award for the 2022 Blues Rock Album of the Year.
In 2022, Zito joined forces with Gulf Coast Records label mate Albert Castiglia and created the Blood Brothers tour. His latest album Life is Hard, was released in February of 2024.
