LAURA CHAVEZ

Born and raised in Mountain View, California, Laura Chavez is an American blues, soul, and rhythm & blues guitarist, songwriter, and record producer whose playing feels both deeply rooted and warmly personal. Grounded in Texas and Chicago blues traditions, classic and modern, her guitar work carries a melodic touch that slips effortlessly between all these genres.

Chavez has collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Deborah Coleman, Candye Kane, Dani Wilde, The Mannish Boys, Big Daddy Wilson, Mike Ledbetter, Monster Mike Welch, Vanessa Collier, Casey Hensley, Whitney Shay, and Chickenbone Slim & The Biscuits. Those partnerships have shaped her sound and built a reputation for tasteful, expressive lead work and thoughtful production.

Her peers have recognized her skills, and she earned nominations for “Instrumentalist/Guitar” at the Blues Music Awards in 2019 and 2021, and in 2023 she won the award in that category. Those honors reflect a steady climb fueled by years of dedication and live experience.

Chavez began playing professionally right after high school. Her early break came at JJ’s Blues in San Jose, where the hesitant 18 year old who had shown up to a jam night soon became the house band’s guitarist, and then played eight years alongside Lara Price, touring nationally, competing at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, and recording two studio albums plus an acoustic duo record with Price.

In 2008 Candye Kane, on the recommendation of Sue Foley, brought Chavez on as lead guitarist. Their musical partnership and friendship deepened over multiple albums, Blues Caravan: Guitars & Feathers, Superhero (which Chavez co-produced), Sister Vagabond, and the Come Out Swingin’ collection, until Kane’s passing in 2016. Chavez has spoken about how Kane pushed her into the spotlight and bolstered her confidence, a bond that left a lasting impact.

The late 2010s were especially busy: Chavez joined Nikki Hill’s backing band, toured with Vanessa Collier and the Ruf Records Blues Caravan, winninga  Blues Music Award with Monster Mike Welch and Mike Ledbetter for the album Right Place, Right Time, and was featured on Casey Hensley’s debut Live album. Guitar Player magazine also named her among “50 Sensational Female Guitarists.” She continued extensive touring in Europe and North America and recorded on Collier’s Honey Up.

After relocating to San Diego in 2019, Chavez worked with Big Daddy Wilson (Deep in My Soul) and collaborated with Whitney Shay, contributing songs and guitar to Shay’s Stand Up. When the pandemic halted touring, she adapted, busking in Little Italy with Chickenbone Slim & The Biscuits and producing and playing on Casey Hensley’s Good as Gone.

On March 20, 2026, Chavez will release her instrumental solo debut, My Voice, on Ruf Records—an album that promises to put her distinctive, melodic guitar voice front and center.