Curtis Salgado
About
Curtis Salgado, the man NPR has called “an icon” with “a huge voice,” is revered worldwide for his ability to wring every ounce of soul out of every song he performs. Salgado is famed not only for his powerhouse live shows but his passionate and insightful original songs. He has been nominated three times for the Blues Music Award for Song of the Year, winning in 2018 for “Walk a Mile in My Blues.” In total, he has won 12 Blues Music Awards, including B.B. King Entertainer of the Year.
Salgado began his career leading The Nighthawks, based in Eugene, Oregon. He then sang and played harmonica in The Robert Cray Band for seven years, including singing on Cray’s debut album, released in 1980. Salgado went on to front Roomful of Blues from 1984 through 1986. After returning to Oregon, he went into drug and alcohol addiction treatment in 1988 and has remained sober ever since. His career with Curtis Salgado and The Stilettos took off, with the band opening for the Steve Miller Band on his summer tour of 1992. Salgado also spent time as the lead singer of Santana and appeared on the “Late Show with Conan O’Brien,” performing an original composition with Terry Robb, alongside Steve Miller. Salgado has released 11 albums.
Salgado was the inspiration behind the creation of “The Blues Brothers” characters; John Belushi met Salgado while in Eugene filming the movie “Animal House.” The Blues Brothers’ debut album “Briefcase Full of Blues” is dedicated to Salgado, and Cab Calloway’s character in “The Blues Brothers” film is named after Curtis.
"The best way to explain how I came to AA is, I had moments of clarity, I came close to dying, and I was lucky I came back. So I surrendered and put myself in treatment with the help of my band members."
"What sobriety means to me: Life is damage control. So I do my best to think about and do  the serenity prayer and 'one day at a time.' And enjoy life on life‘s terms. "
