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Eric Essix

Eric Essix. Over more than 37 years and 29 full-length album releases, Eric Essix has maintained a steady flow of new music that continues to push the boundaries of contemporary jazz.

Most recently, in 2025, Eric released his latest album, “My Heartbeat”, distributed by Lightyear Entertainment/Virgin Music/UMG.

During his first decade as an artist, Eric recorded four well-received albums on Nova Records (S6 Jazz Records) and Ben Tankard’s Spirit Jazz, and earned a degree from Berklee College of Music in 1993. In 1998, he reached an exciting plateau when he was signed by legendary Warner Brothers Vice President Ricky Shultz to his new Warner/Elektra/Atlantic -distributed label, Zebra Records. Schultz, who helped develop the careers of contemporary jazz greats Pat Metheny, Al Jarreau, David Sanborn, Larry Carlton, Fourplay, Joshua Redman, and The Yellowjackets, took a liking to Essix’s latest self-produced album, Small Talk, and gave the guitarist his first taste of national promotion and radio exposure. Eric’s single “For Real” was on the airplay charts for 25 weeks, reaching the Top 5 on several. Southbound, the guitarist’s second album on the label, re-imagined the Brook Benton classic “Rainy Night in Georgia,” which became a radio hit in 2001.

Since launching his Indie label Essential Recordings in 2002, Eric has scored numerous radio hits, starting with “Sweet Tea” from 2004’s Somewhere in Alabama and continuing with “Shuttlesworth Drive,” a musical tribute to the great civil rights pioneer Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, which spent seven consecutive weeks at #1 on Smoothjazz.com and over 20 weeks in the Top 10; “New Focus,” which reached #27 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart; and “Foot Soldiers,” which hit #1 on the Smoothjazz.com Indie Chart and #9 on the Top Fifty chart among numerous other industry airplay lists. Five years after its release, “FootSoldiers” remains in regular rotation on SiriusXM Watercolors. From 2020 to 2024, Eric's recordings Late Night Drive, The Deep, Ain't No Sunshine, and My Heartbeat were also featured on Sirius Watercolors and appeared on the Mediabase/Billboard Top 40 Smooth Jazz charts and many others, garnering millions of streams and listeners.

Those celebrated hits are not simply standalone achievements but powerful invitations to the more profound artistry Eric has offered through a discography populated with thematic concept albums. Collectively, these works reveal his life’s many passions and ultimate purpose as a musician and artist. Among Eric’s most renowned and acclaimed works is his “Southern Roots” trilogy, which begins with Southbound (2000) and includes Somewhere in Alabama (2004) and Birmingham (2009). When his beloved mother, Imogene, passed away in 2004, he created Abide With Me (2005). The guitarist’s album, This Train: The Gospel Sessions (2016), continues this theme dramatically, with contributions from vocalists Ruben Studdard, Candi Staton, The Birmingham Sunlights, Jason Eskridge, and Kaleah Wooten and urban/gospel jazz great, saxophonist Kirk Whalum.

Eric’s 2013 collection Evolution combines the spirit of his Southern and gospel recordings with songs dedicated to the four young women who lost their lives in the 1963 bombing of Birmingham’s 16th Street. Baptist Church. His subsequent release of The Isley Sessions (2014) sold more physical copies and digital downloads than any previous release.

In the late 2000s, Eric toured with Jeff Lorber, Gerald Albright, Ronnie Laws, Phil Perry, Boney James, Everette Harp, Peabo Bryson, Marcus Miller, Eric Darius, Alex Bugnon, Marcus Johnson, Peter White, Mindi Abair, and others.

His love for the genre and deep connections therein inspired him to launch the Preserve Jazz Festival and later Eric Essix's Jazz Escape, two important annual events in Birmingham devoted to jazz performers. As a Founder and Executive Producer for ten years, Eric hosted headliners like Brian Culbertson, Kirk Whalum, Boney James, and Jeff Lorber.

In 2010, Eric was offered a position at the University of Alabama Birmingham’s prestigious Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center. Over the years, he has
booked everyone from Herbie Hancock, Branford, Wynton Marsalis, and Pat Metheny to Diana Krall, Yo-Yo Ma, Emmylou Harris, and Oscar-winning actor Al Pacino.

Although he maintains a deep connection to gospel music, he discovered his passion for contemporary jazz in his late teens, when he had the opportunity to see Jaco Pastorius and Weather Report live.

Though Eric admits his style is very different from Wes Montgomery's, the legendary guitarist is another significant influence. That's when he realized jazz it was the natural style of music for an instrument to achieve the same emotions that a vocal could. I started playing guitar two years later and tried to make the guitar sing right from the start.”

Eric Essix. Over more than 37 years and 29 full-length album releases, Eric Essix has maintained a steady flow of new music that continues to push the boundaries of contemporary jazz. Most recently, in 2025, Eric released his latest album, “My Heartbeat”, distributed by Lightyear Entertainment/Virgin Music/UMG. During his first decade as an artist, Eric recorded four well-received albums on Nova Records (S6 Jazz Records) and Ben Tankard’s Spirit Jazz, and earned a degree from Berklee College of Music in 1993. In 1998, he reached an exciting plateau when he was signed by legendary Warner Brothers Vice President Ricky Shultz to his new Warner/Elektra/Atlantic -distributed label, Zebra Records. Schultz, who helped develop the careers of contemporary jazz greats Pat Metheny, Al Jarreau, David Sanborn, Larry Carlton, Fourplay, Joshua Redman, and The Yellowjackets, took a liking to Essix’s latest self-produced album, Small Talk, and gave the guitarist his first taste of national promotion and radio exposure. Eric’s single “For Real” was on the airplay charts for 25 weeks, reaching the Top 5 on several. Southbound, the guitarist’s second album on the label, re-imagined the Brook Benton classic “Rainy Night in Georgia,” which became a radio hit in 2001. Since launching his Indie label Essential Recordings in 2002, Eric has scored numerous radio hits, starting with “Sweet Tea” from 2004’s Somewhere in Alabama and continuing with “Shuttlesworth Drive,” a musical tribute to the great civil rights pioneer Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, which spent seven consecutive weeks at #1 on Smoothjazz.com and over 20 weeks in the Top 10; “New Focus,” which reached #27 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Songs chart; and “Foot Soldiers,” which hit #1 on the Smoothjazz.com Indie Chart and #9 on the Top Fifty chart among numerous other industry airplay lists. Five years after its release, “FootSoldiers” remains in regular rotation on SiriusXM Watercolors. From 2020 to 2024, Eric's recordings Late Night Drive, The Deep, Ain't No Sunshine, and My Heartbeat were also featured on Sirius Watercolors and appeared on the Mediabase/Billboard Top 40 Smooth Jazz charts and many others, garnering millions of streams and listeners. Those celebrated hits are not simply standalone achievements but powerful invitations to the more profound artistry Eric has offered through a discography populated with thematic concept albums. Collectively, these works reveal his life’s many passions and ultimate purpose as a musician and artist. Among Eric’s most renowned and acclaimed works is his “Southern Roots” trilogy, which begins with Southbound (2000) and includes Somewhere in Alabama (2004) and Birmingham (2009). When his beloved mother, Imogene, passed away in 2004, he created Abide With Me (2005). The guitarist’s album, This Train: The Gospel Sessions (2016), continues this theme dramatically, with contributions from vocalists Ruben Studdard, Candi Staton, The Birmingham Sunlights, Jason Eskridge, and Kaleah Wooten and urban/gospel jazz great, saxophonist Kirk Whalum. Eric’s 2013 collection Evolution combines the spirit of his Southern and gospel recordings with songs dedicated to the four young women who lost their lives in the 1963 bombing of Birmingham’s 16th Street. Baptist Church. His subsequent release of The Isley Sessions (2014) sold more physical copies and digital downloads than any previous release. In the late 2000s, Eric toured with Jeff Lorber, Gerald Albright, Ronnie Laws, Phil Perry, Boney James, Everette Harp, Peabo Bryson, Marcus Miller, Eric Darius, Alex Bugnon, Marcus Johnson, Peter White, Mindi Abair, and others. His love for the genre and deep connections therein inspired him to launch the Preserve Jazz Festival and later Eric Essix's Jazz Escape, two important annual events in Birmingham devoted to jazz performers. As a Founder and Executive Producer for ten years, Eric hosted headliners like Brian Culbertson, Kirk Whalum, Boney James, and Jeff Lorber. In 2010, Eric was offered a position at the University of Alabama Birmingham’s prestigious Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center. Over the years, he has booked everyone from Herbie Hancock, Branford, Wynton Marsalis, and Pat Metheny to Diana Krall, Yo-Yo Ma, Emmylou Harris, and Oscar-winning actor Al Pacino. Although he maintains a deep connection to gospel music, he discovered his passion for contemporary jazz in his late teens, when he had the opportunity to see Jaco Pastorius and Weather Report live. Though Eric admits his style is very different from Wes Montgomery's, the legendary guitarist is another significant influence. That's when he realized jazz it was the natural style of music for an instrument to achieve the same emotions that a vocal could. I started playing guitar two years later and tried to make the guitar sing right from the start.”