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| Noah Hunt at the Blue Note |
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| Jason Dennie & Noah Hunt 1995 |
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| Stanley's Pub 2003 |
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| Noah in Uncle Six |
Noah's musical journey began at the age of four when he started taking piano lessons and sang in church choir. He was influenced by his parent's Beatles albums and dreamed about becoming a rock star. His father, attorney James Hunt, has a musical history as well and has shared influences and showed support to his son, while encouraging him through college hoping his son would eventually be a lawyer.
James Hunt told the Cincinnati Enquirer that he always played the guitar around the house and his son proved to be the quick learner. ''I gave Noah a few lessons, but it's hard to teach your kid something like that. So he took professional lessons. I knew he was good when in high school he started to figure out all the chords to Dylan songs that I still couldn't get.''
Noah, who is the oldest of three Hunt children, attended public school at New Richmond High until his sophomore year. He graduated from Summit Country Day School and then went on to receive an English degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
After college Noah formed the band Uncle Six around his lead vocals, rhythm guitar and songwriting while band members filtered through the line up from 1993 -1997. Noah recorded 4 Uncle Six albums, Wisdom of the Serpent, Six from six (a six track demo), Heartland Soil, and The Flood (EP). He also performed weekly acoustic/folk gigs at Tommy's on Main and Stanley's Pub with partner Jason Dennie. Long Black Train, the album they recorded together was named one of Cincinnati's top albums of 1995. It features a song that Noah is most proud of "Cuba on My Mind" written by his father about the saga of Watergate burglar Frank Sturgis, who was Hunt's uncle by marriage.
The musical talents of Noah Hunt also received recognition when he was awarded the Cammy
(Cincinnati Area Music Award) for folk vocalist of the year 1997 and in 1998 as Rock vocalist of the year. Hunt had what's known as a ‘spec deal' on RCA, a developmental deal with the record company but on the recommendation of photographer W.A.Williams, he landed an audition as the lead singer for the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band.
When the deal was signed that made Noah Hunt the vocalist for the young Louisiana blues guitarist, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, he had to quickly leave town for San Francisco and was rushed into the recording studio with Shepherd,Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon. Uncle Six was forced to cancel their performance at a local annual music festival . Noah reflected on this time in his life with music journalist Larry Nager, "I lived in Columbia Tusculum and played at Stanley's. I didn't have a lot of money, but it was one of the best times of my life.” Of course, when he joined the KWSB some criticized him for leaving his band Uncle Six. “It was selfish,” he says of his decision. “I was heading out to make it. That's just the reality of the situation. I turned down a deal (that didn't include the band). Then RCA made an offer (that included Uncle Six). And that's what I had wanted to hear (but the offer never got past the demo recording phase). “I loved those guys, and I still do. But I had to make a choice. In the end I saw it as an opportunity to achieve what I'd set out to achieve.”
Noah actually lost his voice during this period due to a combination of stress and allergies and used herbal teas and other homeopathic remedies to get it back to record "Trouble Is". The album went on to sell 1.5 million copies, and the KWSB hit record, “Blue On Black” featuring Noah's vocals was named "Rock Track of the Year for 1998" by the Billboard Awards. The KWSB went on to tour for two straight years world wide and followed up with the 1999 release of "Live on" and more touring for Hunt. The KWSB has opened for the Rolling Stones, the Eagles, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Bob Dylan. Within the KWSB, Hunt is known first to the fans for his voice, which is bluesy and soulful and commands the audience with the power behind it. Second for his stage presence, his charasmatic style adding flavor and passion to Kenny's guitar wailing. On the classic live blues covers such as "You done lost your good thing now" and "King Bee" Noah steals the show with a balance of roar and romance in his voice that appeals to both men and women in the crowds.
While home for the holidays on break from the KWSB at the end of 2000, Noah got together with some friends and band members of Uncle Six and created the new band "Noah Hunt and the 420 All-Stars" to perform locally. He describes this side project as "roots rock, with an edgier southern rock, slide guitar feel." Two years later, the band continues to play shows and Noah hopes to record a 420 All-Stars album and put together a little tour. Noah says his goal is to become a more established songwriter, "I think I've got the performance end of it down, the whole rock image thing. Now I think I just want to become a better songwriter. And I'm surrounded by talented artists all the time, so we just try to keep creating and try to learn at every turn.” And as with the blues, he's inspired to write by emotional changes in his life and of course, women.
In the past three months Noah Hunt and The 420 All-Stars have performed shows in Covington Kentucky, Middletown Ohio and recently back in Cincinnati. Before the March 2003 show Noah joked, "I gotta go back to my other night job,"and told reporters that he'll be in the studio, laying down pre-production tracks for the next KWSB album and in April, Shepherd, Hunt and Double Trouble will start a six-week arena tour with ZZ Top.
~Written by NoahHunt.Org 3-29-03
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*Articles written by Larry Nager of The Cincinnati Enquirer and Rick Bird of The The Cincinnati Post were referrenced for this Noah Hunt history. You can see the complete articles on NoahHunt.org's Noah Articles pages 1 & 2. *
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| Noah Hunt in Uncle Six Reunion |
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| Kenny Wayne & Noah Hunt 2003 |
Shepherd decided to drop the name "The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band." and go it solo, singing and writing for his album.
Noah Hunt appears as a guest on only two songs as the lead vocalist. Noah remains signed under contract with Kenny Wayne Shepherd and continues to tour with him sharing the duties at the mic.
Shepherd hires new bandmates to tour with.
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| Kenny Wayne & Noah Hunt 2004 |
With poor album sales on the solo effort put out by Kenny Wayne, the band struggles to book tour dates few and far between in the year of 2005. There is talk of a compilation "blues" album w/ Kenny and some old time Blues artists but so far nothing has appear as of early October 2005.
Noah Hunt continues to draw in the crowd and front the band on vocals at all the live concert appearances, capturing the hearts of new & old fans.
The band goes back to most of their old tunes live in concert and plays little from Kenny's solo effort album.
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| Kenny Wayne & Noah Hunt 2005 |
The compilation "blues" album w/ Kenny and some old time Blues artists is finally released in 2007. Kenny tours small blues venues with Noah on vocals playing with the vintage artists. Crowds continue to comment on Noah's appeal and talents wishing for some solo projects.
In the past 8 years since 1999 when "Live On" was released, Noah Hunt's voice has been featured on only 3 songs Kenny Wayne Shepherd put out. Not enough to keep fans interested.
2008
So far nothing new from Kenny Wayne. Noah continues to work with Jason
Dennie on their follow up folk album to Long Black Train.