Dudley Taft grew up in the American Midwest, where he learned the values of friendship, roots blues, rock ‘n’ roll and a good ear of corn. With a background that includes Berklee College of Music as well as years touring with rock bands Sweet Water and Second Coming, Dudley is a thinking man’s blues rocker. There’s plenty of swagger here, but also the sensitivity of a thoughtful songwriter. In his music you’ll hear delta roots mingling with Seattle grunge, a southern twang with a high-octane crunch. Dudley was nominated “Best Guitarist” by the European Blues Awards in 2017. 

Dudley’s music career began in high school when he founded the band Space Antelope with friend Trey Anastasio (of Phish). In the 1990’s he joined Seattle band Sweet Water, touring the states with Monster Magnet, Candlebox and Alice in Chains. After recording two albums for Atlantic, he left the band to join Second Coming. More touring followed with an album on Capitol Records and a taste of success thanks to the single “Vintage Eyes” which made it to #10 on the Rock Radio charts.

Dudley Taft has been playing blues rock since 2006, when he formed Dudley Taft Blues Overkill with like-minded Seattle musicians. After playing clubs and casinos in the Pacific Northwest for a couple of years, he released the album Left For Dead. Taft has recorded and released a total of eight studio albums and one live CD, recorded on the European tours of 2014 and 2015. After Left for Dead in 2010 came Deep Deep Blue in 2012, Screaming In The Wind in 2014, Skin and Bones in 2015, Live In Europe in 2016, Summer Rain 2017, Simple Life in 2019, Cosmic Radio in 2020, Guitar Kingdom in 2023 and The Speed of Life in 2025.  Album after album, Dudley Taft’s music finds its way to an ever-growing audience, connecting with new listeners while keeping longtime fans engaged.
Reese Wynans of Stevie Ray Vaughan fame has played on three of these studio albums. Dudley has had four #1 songs on the Hit Tracks Top 100 charts, a #2 Blues Rock single (Give Me A Song) and in June 2025, The Speed of Life reached 1# on the U.S. Blues Rock Albums chart and continues to hold a strong position within the Top 10.

Taft has been touring in Europe since 2012, and in 2017 Taft was nominated “best guitarist” by the European Blues Awards. His music can be heard on BB King’s Bluesville on Satellite XM Radio, Pandora, Spotify, and other streaming services. Dudley’s music has been featured in movies and on television, most notably The Sixth Sense, and on That Metal Show and Gene Simmon’s Family Jewels. Dudley now makes his home in Cincinnati, Ohio.