Ana Popović

(Belgrade, 13 th May, 1976), blues guitarist and singer, daughter of guitarist and bass player Milutin Popović, performed in public from the age of fifteen and set up her first band, Hush in the mid nineties. Their first album, Hometown, was released in 1998, performed in Belgrade‟s clubs and at blues festivals in Greece and Hungary. In the same year she enrolled in the Music Conservatory in The Hague but left after signing a contract with Ruf records. In order to make her first album she went to Memphis, worked with Jim Gaines (whose production credits include Santana and Stevie Ray Vaughan), and published an album, Hush, in homage to her first band. After excellent reviews and popular success she sang with well known blues and jazz artists: Bernard Allison, Eric Burdon, Walter Trout, Popa Chubby, Jimmy Thackery, Taj Mahal and Buddy Miles. For her album, Comfort to the Soul, she received a nomination at the Memphis WC Handy Awards as Best New Artist of 2003, the only European ever to be nominated in this category. This album included some of her first compositions including Don't Bear Down on Me (I'm Here to Steal the Show). In 2006, she was Blues Artist of the Year for BluesWax Magazine and also received a six-time nomination for Living Blues Awards. She signed with Eclecto Groove records and played over one hundred and fifty concerts (in 2007), including the famous Sundance Film Festival. Her album, Still Making History was third on the Billboard Blues Chart for nineteen weeks. In 2009, she participated in the legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise with Susan Tedeschi, Larry McCray, and Bob Margoli and also published Blind for Love.