Dermot Byrne is Ireland's foremost roots and blues performer and a prolific songwriter. He has taken his authentic style of blues to top festivals in Europe and the United States. Playing fingerstyle, slide guitar and harmonica he is a regular performer on the club and festival scene and his music has received critical acclaim in music press.His influences are the blues masters such as Son House, Robert Johnson, Fred McDowell and Texas folk-blues artist Huddie Leadbetter. Acts Dermot Byrne has played with or supported include legendry names such as Sam Mitchel, Eric Bibb, Homesick James, Honey Boy Edwards, Steve James, Long John Hunter and Byther Smith. In 1998 he released his first album "Raw Whiskey Blues" on the "Me and My" label based in Holland. This was distributed by Continental Record Services (C.R.S.) in Europe and later released in the U.S. on the Beatville label. As well as doing workshops for schools and colleges on the "origins of the blues" Dermot has narrated and performed a short film for Trinity College Dublin entitled "The life and music of Leadbelly". In 2005 Dermot Byrne came first in the finals of the Irish Blues Challenge (solo/duo) and subsequently performed at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis T.N. He has done gigs in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and performed on the world famous King Biscuit radio show in Helena, Arkansas. <a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Dermot+Byrne">Read more on Last.fm</a>. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.