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THE AMERICAN award-winning acoustics blues master, Doug MacLeod, says he wants to make sure no one leaves his shows feeling like they have been short-changed.

At his performances, which he says have an intimate feel, the accomplished singer, songwriter, storyteller and guitarist entertains audiences with songs that are based on his own life and experiences.

The 69-year-old said: "What I want to do is to make them feel like they are sitting on my porch. To make sure that they got something from me that they didn't have before they came to the show."

He describes his craft as "the music of overcoming adversity – and not subjecting to adversity."

The winner of the 2014 Blues Music Awards for Acoustic Artist of the Year and Acoustic Album Of The Year has an extensive back catalogue and a new album called Exactly Like This. The perennial Blues Music Award nominee overcame abuse and a crippling stutter at a young age by turning to music. But it was moving to St. Louis in Missouri as a teenager that marked a turning point in his life.

"At St. Louis, I started playing bass. I was accepted by the black community. "They allowed me to be part of the culture. I had a big chip on my shoulder because of the abuse I had suffered. "I had suffered but I was around people who were able to deal with adversity in a positive way. It changed my life.

"Once I found blues, and what I call the philosophy of it, I realised there was more to the music than just a record."

The late country blues singer, Ernest BankS from Toano, Virginia, USA, was his mentor. "He said I had to write, sing, play and entertain if he was (ever) going to call me a blues man," he said.

He was also influenced by the Chicago Blues musician, George Harmonica Smith, who he described as the same man on and off the stage.

"They were common folk. Entertainment was their job and they went out and did their job the way a teacher would.

"It rubs off on you and you get a real sense of the unimportance of your importance."

In his spare time, the travelling artist enjoys watching baseball and barbecuing.

Doug MacLeod will be performing at The Red Barn, Blindley Heath, on Monday, May 25 from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Tickets cost £15. For more information visit http://meridianfm.yapsody.com or email Richard@meridianfm.co.uk

BLUES MAN: Acoustics blues master Doug MacLeod overcame abuse and a crippling stutter by turning to music

at an early age.