about the artist
Noah Wotherspoon
Noah Wotherspoon is a guitarist, songwriter, and bandleader from Dayton, Ohio, whose career has been rooted in the blues while spanning a wide range of musical styles.
He began playing guitar at age 11 and, by 15, was fronting his own band, Noah and the Stratocats. Within a year, the group was performing at the renowned Chicago Blues Festival, where they would return for the next eight years. During this time, Noah was discovered by Jimmy D. Lane, son of blues legend Jimmy Rogers, which led to the recording and release of his debut album, Buzz Me, on APO Records, featuring the legendary Hubert Sumlin.
Over the years, Noah has built a reputation as both a guitarist and songwriter, sharing stages with artists including Chris Isaak, Leon Russell, Boz Scaggs, Savoy Brown, John Hammond, Joe Bonamassa, Johnny Lang, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. He has also performed and recorded alongside musicians such as Bobby Blue Bland, Hiram Bullock, and Will Lee. On July 11, 2026, Wotherspoon and his band will back Mud Morganfield, son of Muddy Waters, at the Cincinnati Blues Festival.
In 2015, Noah received the Albert King Award for Best Guitarist at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee, while the Noah Wotherspoon Band finished second overall. Since then, the band has toured extensively, performing throughout Eastern Europe, as well as headlining festivals in Iceland and Mexico.
The Noah Wotherspoon Band has released two studio albums, Mystic Mud and Mobile Juke House Theater. The current lineup features Da’Rosa Richardson on keyboards, Tom Rastikis on bass, Brian Aylor on drums, and the Just Strange Brothers Horns on select performances.
Noah’s musical influences range from Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix to Otis Rush, Albert King, Magic Sam, Robert Ward, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Elliott Smith, Jeff Buckley, and Doyle Bramhall II. He has also cited the writing of Jack Kerouac and a longstanding interest in world music, particularly artists from India, as important creative influences.
Alongside his work with the Noah Wotherspoon Band, Noah continues to write, record, and perform through a variety of projects, including Noah + The Rescue Radio, his indie rock outfit, which is set to release a new album, Sky Size Drive-In, later this year. He also collaborates regularly with singer-songwriter Jessi Bair and pursues a range of other creative projects.
Since 2015, Noah has been active in music education through workshops, online content, and his “Mobile Woodshed” video series, exploring the playing styles of influential guitarists. Most recently, he has served as a co-instructor at the Chicago Blues Guitar Workshop alongside Johnny Burgin, Billy Flynn, Yoshimi Hirata, and Aki Kumar. His first online course, Blues Guitar Deep Dive, produced in partnership with The Music Salon in Madeira, Ohio, is scheduled for release this year.
In May 2026, Noah was inducted into the Southwestern Ohio Blues Hall of Fame. He also recently joined the roster of endorsed artists for Maton Guitars, the Australian guitar maker renowned for its handcrafted instruments.