Keb’ Mo’: He Stopped Chasing Fame—Then Came Five Grammys

About this episode

What happens when you keep doing what you love and stop chasing fame? For Keb’ Mo’, it meant finding his own voice—and eventually becoming one of contemporary blues’ most celebrated artists. In this episode, five-time Grammy winner Keb’ Mo’ joins Sandy for a warm, revealing conversation about the long road to recognition, the musicians who helped shape him and the personal upheaval behind his album, The Breakdown. Born Kevin Roosevelt Moore, Keb’ Mo’ spent decades playing, writing and learning before his self-titled album brought him wider recognition in the 1990s. He remembers wanting to make it in his twenties, then reaching his thirties and discovering that having a gig and getting to play mattered more than fame. His mother had a different perspective: when was he going to get a proper job? His musical education began early. At just 14, a steel-drum recording session brought him into a Los Angeles studio where he watched legendary bassist Carol Kaye at work. Later, a chance encounter with Papa John Creach opened another door when the violinist and his colleagues heard Keb’s band rehearsing and walked in off the street. What followed was an opportunity to write, recor