Seasick Steve

With his beaten-up three-string guitar, diddley bow and wooden stomp box, hobo bluesman Steve Wold has become an unlikely cult star, charming the festival crowds with ramshackle 12-bar boogie and heartfelt stories. Leaving home at 13 to escape an abusive step-father, he spent years sleeping rough, working for carnivals, hopping freight trains and busking, before finally finding stardom in his sixties. Launched into the mainstream by a memorable appearance on Jools Holland's Hootenanny TV show on New Year's Eve 2006, he quickly became a word-of-mouth sensation with second album Dog House Music (2006) making a huge breakthrough. Dressed in scruffy dungarees, check shirts and with trademark bushy beard, his raw authenticity and humble nature won many admirers with KT Tunstall, Nick Cave and Ruby Turner all contributing to third album I Started Out With Nothin, And I Still Got Most Of It Left (2008). A sell-out show at London's Royal Albert Hall in 2008 confirmed his new found status, before Man From Another Time (2009) made it to Number 4 in the UK album charts.