While Greg Sover’s friends in his Philadelphianeighborhood, where he grew up,were listeningto local rappershe was immersed in classic rock, country and the bluesever since he first pickedup a guitar at the age of five.“From the beginning, it’s been the greats that have intrigued me,” says Sover, naming JimiHendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Clapton,Jeff Beck,Duane Allman, Dwight Yoakam guitaristPete Anderson and, of course, all three Kings–B.B., Freddie and Albert as early influences.“Hearing those first few notes of ‘Purple Haze’ changed my life.”On his fourth and latest album“HIS-STORY”to bereleased by his own independent GroundedSoul Records labelonJuly21,2023, Sover’s musicalcareerhas come full circle, as he’s joinedon two songs by legendary Jimi Hendrix Experience and Band of Gypsies bassist Billy Cox, acover of “Manic Depression” and a rare track from the great guitarist, “Remember,” originallyrecorded for the international version ofJimi’sfirst album,“Are You Experienced”.“It was such an honor and privilege to play with him,” says Sover. “I had to keep pinchingmyself thatit wasJimi Hendrix’s bassplayer, but I got to knowand respecthim as his own man,too. He and hiswife were so supportive.They just want to pass it on.”Sover and Cox hit it offright away, and after working remotely on the two tracks, they gottogether in Billy’s hometown of Nashville to collaborate on a live video for “Remember,” a songthat starts with a reggae lilt and ends with a funky jam straight out of James Brown by way ofArchie Bell and the Drells’ “Tighten Up.” Cox, who also co-produced the track with Sover,recalled how he and Jimi were on the way to re-record the songbefore he passed away, and thatBilly wanted to do it with Gregas a form of homage, impressed with Sovers’ “humility” anddedication to his craft.“I listened to the original track quite a few times, but I had to come up with my own version ofthe guitar solo at the end, because it was so underplayed, I could hardly make it out,”acknowledges Sover.Recorded at Cambridge Studios in south Philadelphia, the new album turns the spotlight onSover as atruetriple-threat–already known for his world-class guitar work, he is nowblossoming as both a soul/R&B singer (listen to his come-hither croon on the atmospheric“Tonight”) and a songwriter (from the heavy metal psychedelic blues of “Song28” to therousing “Gimme Shelter” gospel shout of “FreedomPart 2”), with 8 of the 10self-producedtracks original compositions. Other standoutsinclude the delta blues and AC/DC Angus Younghistrionics of the title track, the slinky blues of “Stuck in the Rain,” which could be abouteitherabroken romance orovercomingcareer obstacles (“I’m trying to keep the flame from goingout/But I’m stuck in the rain”) and the chugging locomotive riffs of “One Way Train,” about theinevitable call of the road and music taking one away from their loved ones. Sover’s fourthalbum shows remarkable growth... he is not just a blues performer but a truepurveyor of rock n' roll / Americana music,ready to both accept the torch from those who came before and pass it onto those following him. The self-declaredBrooklyn-bornguitar‘slinger was“mesmerized”by the femininecurvesof theacoustic instrumentowned by his father, a Haitian immigrant who moved the family toa one-bedroom apartment in the Crown Heights section. That’swherehis dadwouldplayKompatunesfor his son–a rhythmicnativemusicfrom his homelanddescribed by Greg as mostresemblingsalsa. The first English-languagesongshe remembers hearing as a child were Cyndi Lauper’s“Time After Time” and Bob Marley’s “Get Up, Stand Up,” when his father gifted him with hisown instrument, not a toy, but a real guitar, small enough for akidto use.“I stuck with it,” he says about teaching himself how to tune to the open E-chord and eventuallyplay. “It was something I loved to do and still love to do.”Greg cut his performing teeth as a bassist in the church while in his teens, then playedguitar invarious bands, includingheavyweight champion Joe Frazier’sgroup,before “muscling up” as avocalist and bandleader himself. Soversoon became an integral part of the local Philadelphiamusic scene, releasing two full-length albums, 2016’sSongsof a Renegade (S.O.A.R. )and2018’sJubilee, and 2020’sParadesix-songEP, performing locally and at festivals with the likesof theDavid Uosikkinen's In The Pocket,Yardbirds, Jeffrey Gaines, Jimmy Vivino, TommyConwell & the Young Rumblers, Walter Trout, Sonny Landreth, Popa Chubby andtheMarcusKing Band. Sover and his band made the semifinalsfor two consecutive yearsat theInternational Blues Challenge in Memphis andwon the 2015 Hard Rock Rising competition atPhiladelphia’s Hard Rock Cafe in 2015.Among the classic rock songs Soverhascovered areCream’s “Politician,” Buddy Miles’ “ThemChanges,” Mountain’s “Theme from an Imaginary Western,” Jimi Hendrix’s “ManicDepression” and “Voodoo Child,”all not merecarbon copies, but brings his own distinct flair formelodies in service of the song rather than just mindless shredding. His City of Brotherly Loveroots–Gamble and Huff’s Philadelphia International, the street-corner R&B oflocalgroupssuch asthe Stylistics and Delfonics–come across even more clearly in new songs like“Tonight,” hinting at new expansive directions for the future.His new bandmates include suchicons asveteranbassist Kenny Aaronson,the fellow Brooklyn nativewho has played witheveryone fromBob Dylan, Rick Derringer, Billy Idol, Joan Jett and Sammy Hagar to the NewYork Dolls, Foghat and Hall & Oates, and drummer/podcast hostDavid Uosikkinen ofPhilly’sthe Hooters, whose founding member Rob Hyman, ironically, was one of the co-writers of“Time After Time.”“They keep me growing as a musician,” he adds.“It’s freedom time/Is freedom free?”“FreedomPart 2”“It’s all about who loves the music,” says Greg about expandingtheaudience,getting morepeopletohear his musicandseehimplaylive. “It’s all about crossing theseboundaries andbringing everyone together, whateveryourrace, religionornationality.As for me, I’ve beenthrough it all... it’s too late to stop now.Just go for it.The show must go on.” Greg Sover Doors - 7:00 pm // Showtime - 8:00 pm (TWO SETS!!) Anchor Rock Club // 247 S New York Avenue // Atlantic City NJ // 18+