Ruben Bertrands started out as a street musician over 10 years ago, hollering the blues and tooting his harmonica. To this day, he roams the streets of everywhere preaching the words of Muddy Waters, Ray Charles, and Louis Armstrong.
From 2013 until 2016, RB ran an acclaimed radio show on Scorpio, Belgium’s oldest independent radio station (Bluesapalooza), which included weekly live sessions and resulted in the inaugural Leuven Blues Festival. After the festival, he founded Leuven Live, a non-profit organization that has organized 250+ jam sessions and concerts in the heart of the city.
In early 2019, he hit the road with a bag full of harmonicas and ended up in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Due to the global pandemic, RB was forced to stay on the island until early 2022, where he still plays regularly with roots duo Los Chupitos.
During this time, he managed to self-publish two albums, a collection of originals named ‘After Hours’, and the self-titled EP ‘Blues Messenger’.
After a successful crowdfunding campaign, he recorded his third album ‘The Other Side of the Coin’ at Studio Fandango in January 2023.
RB continued his travels and flew to NYC to work on the record with Blues Hall of Famer Hugh Pool. Fulfilling a lifelong dream, he went to celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans, experiencing the birthplace of jazz & blues. During his time in Louisiana, he performed at the Baton Rouge Mardi Gras Festival and was a regular fixture at Henry Turner Jr.’s Listening Room.
RB moved to Granada, Spain in December 2023 to study flamenco music. Back in Belgium & The Netherlands to promote the new album from March 2024 onwards. Check out my concert agenda for a venue in your hood!
