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Born in Philadelphia in 1979, Sean was a beautiful and precocious
baby who walked, talked and read at an incredibly early age. His
interest in music was evident as early as the age of 2, and after
he moved to Atlanta at age 9, he began playing guitar. While his
early influences were hard rock bands, he soon discovered the blues
after picking up a Howlin’ Wolf tape in a bargain bin at a local
record store. Sean never looked back. Soon local Atlanta bluesman
Felix Reyes took Sean under his wing, and the rest is history. At
age 14, Sean won the prestigious Memphis Blues Society’s New Talent
Award. The prize included studio time during which he recorded his
debut album, Call The Cops, which was acclaimed by Real Blues Magazine
as “an explosive debut.” While in Memphis, Sean met fellow blues
guitarist Susan Tedeschi with whom he later toured as lead guitarist,
going on to record incredible lead guitar tracks on her gold album
Just Won’t Burn.
After leaving this tour, Sean put together his own band, and his
next album Cuttin’ In was released in early 2000. This album garnered
Sean a W.C. Handy Award nomination for Best New Artist Debut. As
Philip Van Vleck commented in All Music Guide, “Costello the guitarist
has snatched the key to the blues kingdom. His playing is shockingly
deep for a 20-year-old. And his vocal work is nearly a match for
his guitar chops; given time, that too will become very real. Of
all the young blues lions out there brandishing their electric guitars,
Costello is the one who’s got his head and heart into the deep blues.”
Released in 2002, his third album Moanin’ for Molasses featured
a more mature and confidently soulful sound. With this album, Sean
was featured in a Blues Revue cover story where he was lauded as
“the top contender to be the next blues star - and soon.” The Atlanta
Journal-Constitution called his guitar playing “masterful” and of
“remarkable maturity,” and compared him to guitar legends B. B. King,
Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
2005 saw the release of Sean Costello, his self-titled album on
which he explored soul, funk, and hard rock, covering songs by musical
greats such as Johnny Taylor, Al Green, and Bob Dylan with a result
that was uniquely his own. Two tracks on the album feature the great
Levon Helm, one of Sean’s musical heroes, as well as Levon’s daughter
Amy Helm and her group Ollabelle. Sean penned seven original songs
for this album including the phenomenal ‘No Half Steppin’, a dynamic
track which offers insight into Sean’s efforts to overcome his personal
struggles. Steve Leggett of All Music Guide writes, “One gets the
feeling that Costello is just starting to hit his stride as a songwriter
and singer, while as a guitar player he has obviously learned the
vital and difficult lesson that drawing
attention to your playing should
only happen when the song demands it.”
It would be four years until Sean’s next album We Can Get Together
which was released two months before his tragic and untimely death
on April 15, 2008, one day before his 29th birthday. The accolades
for the album are many, and Sean himself felt it was his best work
to date. Mojo Magazine described We Can Get Together as “bluesy original
songs arranged in classic soul style and delivered with a ravaged
intensity.” We Can Get Together was nominated for Contemporary Blues
Album of the Year award and Sean was nominated Contemporary Blues
Male Artist in the 2009 Blues Music Awards. Sean’s Blues: A Memorial
Retrospective which was released posthumously, received a nomination
as Best Historical Album by the Blues Music Awards, and was also
nominated as Best Contemporary Blues Recording in the 2010 Blues
Blast Music Awards.
In addition to his own albums, Sean collaborated with many other
renowned artists both onstage and in the recording studio. In his
last interview on April 14, 2008, the eve of his death, Sean said,
“I’ve played with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Luther Thomas, Dr. John,
Levon Helm, Donald Fagin . . . James Cotton, Pinetop Perkins, Hubert
Sumlin, Jody Williams . . . Nappy Brown, Tinsley Ellis. I’ve played
with most of my heroes, you know. I’ve been very lucky.” But it is
these artists, as well as his bandmates, the blues community, his
fans and his loving family that feel honored and fortunate to have
had Sean touch their lives and who so profoundly mourn his loss.
From early childhood, while some things came to him quickly and
easily, others were much harder for him to master, and he often expressed
feeling out of place with the rest of the world. By the time Sean
was in middle school, it was obvious that a traditional educational
environment was not working for him, and that he felt more than the
usual adolescent angst about being different from his peers. Sean’s
music blossomed at North Atlanta High Center for the Arts, as did
he - at least to all appearances. To the outside world, Sean had
hit his stride, but underneath it all, he was battling occasional
bouts of depression and anxiety and all too soon alcohol entered
the picture. Sean’s intelligence, charm, and self-deprecation all
masked the seriousness of the daunting challenge of balancing his
emotional age with his musical genius. Mental health professionals
who treated Sean at this time didn’t recognize his true diagnosis.
Sean’s accomplishments in his short life were prodigious; he was
successful, handsome and well-liked. Why, then, did he die of an
accidental overdose? The most obvious answer is his struggle with
Bipolar Disorder, which fueled his battle with alcohol and drugs.
Sean endeavored until the end of his life to overcome the demons
of panic attacks, sleep deprivation and depression that plagued him,
the cause of which remained undiagnosed and unrecognized until close
to his death.
The Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bipolar Research is a living
testimony to Sean’s spirit. Sean
used his depth of feeling and his talent for communicating through
music to overcome what could have been insurmountable odds. It is
our job as family, friends, and fans to give others who struggle
with the effects Bipolar Disorder the help and support they need
to conquer this very dangerous illness.
It is with the deepest sadness that we issue this press release,
and the news that Delta Groove recording artist Sean Costello passed
away in Atlanta, GA on Tuesday, April 15th, one day before his 29th
birthday. Sean was not only a member of the Delta Groove musical
family, he was also a friend, and words cannot express the sorrow
we feel at having to say goodbye so soon. As blues music fans, we
unfortunately grow somewhat accustomed to the sadness of the inevitable
passing of musical elders after long and fruitful careers. Losing
someone as young, vibrant, and talented as Sean, who had accomplished
so much in just a few short years and still had so much potential,
is a terribly difficult blow, not only to those who knew him personally,
but for the music community as a whole. He had been unanimously praised
as one of the main torch-bearers of the blues flame for the coming
generations, and now that potential will go sadly unfulfilled.
Costello was born in Philadelphia in 1979, moved with his family
to Atlanta at the age of 9, and soon afterward picked up the guitar.
Within a few short years he'd won the Memphis Blues Society's new
talent award, and was on the road with his own band. At age 17 he
released his first album, "Call The Cops", acclaimed by
Real Blues Magazine as "an explosive debut." He soon joined
forces with fellow blues guitarist Susan Tedeschi, with whom he toured
and recorded, laying down tasteful lead guitar work on her Gold-certified
Tone-Cool debut "Just Won't Burn".
In 2000, Costello released "Cuttin' In" on Landslide Records,
which earned him critical acclaim as well as a prestigious W. C.
Handy Award nomination for 'Best New Artist Debut.' With 2002's "Moanin'
For Molasses", also on Landslide, came a Blues Revue cover story
touting Costello as "the top contender to be the next blues
star - and soon." Costello's hometown paper The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
called his guitar playing "masterful" and of "remarkable
maturity." The paper also compared him to such legends as B.
B. King, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
In 2005, his self-titled fourth CD "Sean Costello" was
released by Artemis Records. Produced by Steve Rosenthal (The Rolling
Stones, Suzanne Vega, Freedy Johnston), it was an appealing blend
of soul, funk, upbeat rock. He was joined by some very special guests:
Levon Helm of The Band sits in on two tracks, as does his daughter,
Amy Helm, with her group, Ollabelle. Steve Jordan, Willie Weeks and
the Conan O'Brien horn section also appear.
Sean's Delta Groove debut CD "We Can Get Together", just
released in February, was produced by Costello himself. He was justly
proud of "We Can Get Together", calling it the best work
he'd ever done, and the critics agreed, with excellent reviews from
radio and press alike lauding it his most impressive and mature work
to date.
Costello was fortunate enough to earn the respect and admiration
of many of his own idols, and had the opportunity to perform with
his mentors. He shared stages with B.B. King, Buddy Guy, James Cotton,
Pinetop Perkins, and Bo Diddley among many others. He recently said, "All
I've ever wanted to do was play the guitar well. I've been fortunate
to be able to make a living doing it, and I plan to keep it up for
the rest of my life."
Rand Chortkoff and Robert Fitzpatrick, the CEO and President respectively
of Delta Groove Music, issued the following joint statement: "Sean
Costello was a genius. He was destined to go down in music history
as a blues legend. His musical legacy will live on through his music
forever. We at Delta Groove Music and all his fans everywhere are
devastated by the untimely news of his death. Our thoughts and prayers
are with his family, loved ones and friends and to all of his many
fans around the world. He will not be forgotten."
Sean Costello
Sean Costello 1979 - 2008