A critics' darling, this 59-year old guitarist, vocalist and composer hovers atop the pantheon of American music mavericks.

Forging an unyielding synthesis of musical styles, vision and virtuosity, Ulmer has left an indelible mark on those keen ears that have followed him to the great nether where the fiercest, most holy music occurs.

Ulmer is a 2008 Blues Music Awards (formerly the W.C. Handy Awards) nominee for Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year, and his most recent album Bad Blood in the City (about post-Katrina New Orleans) has also been nominated for both Album of the Year and Contemporary Blues Album of the Year.

Visit his website at www.myspace.com/jamesbloodulmer