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Next: Kail Baxley

Singer-songwriter Kail Baxley.
Courtesy of the artist
Singer-songwriter Kail Baxley.

Kail Baxley is a young blues singer who grew up in the same South Carolina town as James Brown. Over the course of his childhood, he met the Godfather of Soul several times, and it had a profound effect on Baxley's development as a musician.

After receiving a guitar from his actual godfather for high-school graduation, Baxley became obsessed with the instrument. Traveling across the American South, Europe and Africa, Baxley ended up in California, where he met music producer Eric Corne. Once Corne discovered Baxley's impressive literary and musical background, he pushed him toward a full-length studio album.

Heeding Corne's advice, Baxley eventually made a double EP (actually titled The Double E.P.), which comes out in February. This installment of World Cafe: Next features two captivating singles — "Don't Matter to Me" and "Heatstroke" — as well as a link to download "Say Goodbye to the Night."

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