Artist of the Week: Michael Grimm

You might have seen him on the last season of  America's Got Talent, the show that hand-picks ordinary people and transforms them into celebrities just slightly less noticeable than American Idol contestants. Grimm, 31, was bursting with so much talent that he won the competittion, securing himself $1 million and a recording contract. Not too bad, huh?

Well, Mr. Grimm's fans are the ones responsible for keeping his stardom and career on the straight and narrow. And, in all honesty, I think this guy deserves just a bit of appreciation. Even though he auditioned for, became a contender on, and won yet another tasteless talent show, I believe he is a real blues musician who has the potential to be great. Sure, he's not the best out there. There really is no point in comparing him with B.B. King or Muddy Waters. At the same time, it's easy to see that he is current enough to be enjoyable for blues and pop fans alike. And with a name like Grimm, he's bound to be a good fit for the blues genre. Check him out! Here he is:

Grimm grew up in the swamplands of Mississippi, so if you're a fan of Creedence Clearwater Revival, you'll probably like this guy just as well. His music is very much influenced by blues and soul, with some southern rock thrown in there. Simply put, his sound is like a nice helping of gumbo and crawdads. He has several albums available, including:

Leave Your Hat On (2010)
I Am Michael Grimm (2009)
Live (2007)
Michael Grimm (2007)

These are all available from his official website, http://www.michaelgrimmmusic.com/.