Bio
“Blues, folk, country, roots rock n' roll and all that comes between ” has long been Boerner's musical recipe. Standing proudly on the shoulders of the musical giants that have come before, his original "blues based" Americana performances are immaculate, emotional and convincing. Audiences feel quite at ease with where he takes them - as if they are being taken to an old familiar place, but by way of a Southern back road that only Boerner knows.
Since his teenage years, Greg Boerner (pronounced “Burner”) has always leaned on the blues and its close companions for inspiration. His songwriting reflects this mix and Boerner cites Ray Charles, Tom Waits, Willie Dixon, Mose Allison, Gregg Allman, J.J. Cale, Bob Dylan and Willis Alan Ramsey as a few of his influences. 70's radio also played a significant role in his childhood: “My older brothers were always playing the radio in the 70's...the diversity of the music and the artists really stayed with me. I certainly lean into the Blues/Americana thing when writing & performing...but those wonderfully crafted songs never left me.”
Boerner hasn't always been an acoustic solo performer. He was a much sought after sideman with an electric guitar steeped in traditional blues and roots rock n' roll. At 18, he was touring the Southeast playing the cool rock-a-billy of Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent and Elvis as if he had been born to it. Classic rock bands followed. In his twenties, he was playing with an all-black soul band in clubs with black audiences. It was a musical education, to be sure, but when those audiences began affectionately calling him “the white B.B.”, he knew he had passed at least part of the test. Countless gigs and a few hot licks later, he found his singing and songwriting were being appreciated as much as his potent Stratocaster. Finally arriving on the solo scene, he discovered the simple and direct pleasures of just guitar and song. He also found his authentic voice.
While Augusta, Georgia is where Boerner's formative musical years began, he spent the next 20 years of his life in the Midwest honing his Southern song craft and building his fan base. Boerner is content with his successful but modest career. “I'm definitely an 'under the radar' artist so I haven't had a lot of BIG moments. I did open for Leon Russell which looks pretty good on the old resume! More recently, a kind and gracious call from Rodney Crowell about a song I sent him was very inspiring. That kind of thing can keep you going for months.”
Drawing on a lifetime of songs and his five full-length albums, Greg Boerner can be seen performing at clubs, coffee houses, cafes, listening rooms, house concerts and festivals. He has opened shows for Leon Russell, Patty Larkin, Old 97's, Robbie Fulks, Tinsley Ellis, Shemekia Copeland, Claudia Schmidt, Willy Porter, Bill Morrissey, Chris Smither, Pierce Pettis, Jack Williams, Maria Muldaur, Gove Scrivenor and Wayne Toups.
He currently resides in Nashville, TN with his brilliant and lovely wife, Annie.