Beggar Joe Formed at Salford University where they were united by a raw passion for making meaningful music. They have already enjoyed success in Italy, China and across America and are humbly known in their Manchester hometown as ‘The Street Soul Guys’- having an extremely dedicated fanbase who regularly post footage of the boy’s busking performances on youtube.

With so much enthusiasm, talent and a plethora of heart-felt performances on Manchester’s pavements, bars, cafes and live music venues, it wasn’t long before Beggar Joe caught the attention of an unsuspecting, yet-to-be formed, record label.

Grammy Award winning producer, Al Stone (who established himself as a world class talent after producing Jamiroquai’s 10 million strong selling album (Travelling without Moving) was introduced to the band by Chet Mehmet (music sales and distribution guru), who had been impressed by one of the band’s London sets. Chet convinced Al Stone to join him in Manchester to see the band perform and he was instantly captivated by their ability to play their instruments so skilfully, coupled with bohemian troubadour and Jon Kenzie’s raucous vocals.

Having also worked with the likes of U2, Tina Turner, Genesis, Bob Dylan, Alabama 3, Kelis, Joss Stone, Corrine Bailey-Rae, Bjork and many more industry heavy-weights, Al’s ear for making great records and reputation for nurturing and getting the most out of musical talent is unrivalled. Starting a long-pondered label after meeting ‘one of the most talented bands I have ever seen’ seemed the next logical step for the world-renowned producer.

Pooling together over 30 years of industry experience and more than 25 million combined album sales between them, it was the perfect excuse for Chet and Al to launch their dream record label (C.A.T Records) and go all out to promote their new band and first signing; Beggar Joe.

Band Info:
Frontman and guitarist- Jon Kenzie started playing when he was 10 but was uninspired until he met a local blues guitarist who ignited his passion for blues, reggae, folk and all things rock n roll. He started gigging from a young age, playing over a 100 gigs before making it to his 16th birthday and by his 18th he had a booking agent and was touring Texas. An extremely talented musician he went on to front a number of bands and was a regular on the Manchester busking circuit, alongside various members of Beggar Joe.

Jon wasn't the only one fascinated by music from a young age - keyboard player Justin Shearn has been surrounded by music since before birth -his dad insisted in playing guitar to the 'bump'! Justin's early days of listening to his dad's intricate blues guitar playing inspired a deep passion for music and a keen ear for melody. However, his real obsession lay with playing keys. With no piano of his own, he would spend many a happy hour at a friend's house, sat at their piano writing his own songs - so much so in fact that they decided to give him the piano as a gift!

Bassist Andy was a tree surgeon for 10years but always had his mind on music going on to teach it in schools and youth offender’s institutes. As a young lad he was a member of many heavy metal bands but it was the blues that truly inspired him and he taught himself to play the upright and the rest they say is history.

Percussionist Rome Mosabbir is a master percussionist- having lived in Malaysia for 10 years and also studying Afro-Caribbean, Brazilian, Cuban and Samba styles to name but a few- his technique is astounding- an amalgamation of all these styles adding another edge to Beggar Joe.

Drummer- Chris Butler has been drumming from the age of 12. Growing up watching his uncle playing the drums in a blues band he set about honing his craft and later set up his own custom made drum business. “It's all about keeping good live music alive" he says. With little time for the shallow throw-away music that tends to boss the pop charts these days, Chris just wants people to "listen through the noise", and hear some of the other fantastic music that's being made by people all over the world.