Kate Kemp

There are musicians who play the blues and then there are blues musicians. The difference lies not in what is being played but rather how the artist plays it. True blues musicians allow themselves to be possessed by their music, letting it guide their hands and voices and allowing it to expand out across the room to make toes tap, bodies sway and eyes close. And if you've never experienced that moment when you feel like you're sitting on the hidden side of a two-way mirror, looking in on a therapy session focused on the truth, then you've never been to one of Mick Tinsley's shows. 

Tinsley's upcoming album, Common Man, is all about that pure moment. "The things I talk about are relatable and real." Tinsley said. "People who have known me for a long time say they like to come see me because I'm very honest. I take that as a compliment. To express yourself honestly is one of the hardest things to do in this world."

From the way he channels heart-felt blues riffs, taking over a room with his unfaltering, gruff voice and impressive guitar skills, you'd think Tinsley came out of the womb playing the blues. But this Tennessee-native's style wasn't always blues-based with flashes of outlaw country. His signature sound grew from his desire for independence and a passion to follow his heart. 

Growing up, Tinsley watched as his father and uncle played their guitars at family gatherings. They were center stage and he wanted to be part of it. So when he was about 8 years old, he grabbed his father's guitar and started picking out tunes. When Dad saw his left-handed son trying to learn chords upside down on his right-handed guitar, he decided to Tinsley had music in his soul and bought him his first guitar. 

Over the next nine years, music became the most important outlet in his life. But there weren't any good music programs in school to keep him challenged, so he created his own. At 17, Tinsley told his family he was dropping out of high school and hitting the road with Aristeia — a tight-pants wearing, long hair-slinging group that started out covering AC/DC, Skid Row and other hard rock bands.

Many parents would've threatened to disown a student making great grades who wanted to walk away from his education to be a rock star, but Tinsley's gave him a chance. They told him he had one year to prove himself as a musician. And if at the end of that year he wasn't making money or didn't have a job, it was back to school. The next year was tough - late nights, cramped hotel rooms, homesickness, breakups, a nearly empty wallet and an often-empty stomach, but Tinsley made it through. And his experience on the road gave him fodder for the songs he writes today.

"When I was younger and would play the blues people would ask, 'Why aren't you playing that now?' and I'd say, 'You can't talk shit when you're 20 years old! You don't know anything yet.' I was still a kid," Tinsley explained. "Not to say I'm some old, wise guru now, but I've done a lot in 38 years that a lot of people won't ever understand. I haven't invented anything new, but maybe my way of doing it will affect you."

To find out where you can go to get your hands on a copy of Common Man or experience his show first hand, visit his site at MickTinsley.com.