“You play with the visceral honesty of a man whose fingers have done honest work, and whose nails have imbedded dirt and axle grease. I want to be like you when I grow up.” Jay Peterson

Growing up in Memphis, Tennessee, Chas Justus knew he was born to play the guitar.  With a confidence and diversity that belies his young age, his playing moves seamlessly between the numerous blues styles he’s mastered and the country jazz and Southwest Louisiana guitar styles that he loves. His guitar playing has been featured on numerous albums, many from the thriving Louisiana music scene, and his original songs can be heard on some great recordings including the Grammy Nominated album from Linda Rondstadt and Ann Savoy, Adieu False Heart.  His instantly recognizable and singular guitar playing, his singing, and his songwriting make him a welcome, exciting new voice in the next generation of Southern troubadours.

In 1999, Chas helped start the beloved Louisiana roots band The Red Stick Ramblers.   Ten years with that group of young, phenomenal players took him around the world and landed them a recording contract with Sugar Hill Records.  Since that time he has performed and recorded with many artists including T Bone Burnett, Linda Rondstadt, Jay Ungar, Tim O’Brien and Flaco Jimenez and the Los Texmaniacs.  His current band, The Revelers, earned a Grammy Nomination for their recording Get Ready.  This hard-working band has been tearing up the U.S. festival and concert scene and has appeared on  HBO’s Treme and Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion . 

Chas helps organize the popular Blackpot Festival in Lafayette, Louisiana which he has been a part of since it began.  To extend the joy and further the mission of Blackpot,  he started Blackpot Camp which is held yearly in the week leading up to the festival.  The camp is held out on the cajun prairie of Eunice, LA with dancing every night and workshops on cooking, music and dance every day!

An exciting writer of often hilarious, and always original blogposts covering his travels from Alaska to Cuba and beyond led to more writing, and he soon found himself in demand with folks asking for help with liner notes, biographies and freelance articles penned from his piquant view of the world at large and Southern Louisiana in particular. In 2015 he was tagged  by his good friend and mentor, Devon Leger of Hearth Music PR to work alongside Roger Kash & Sabra Guzmán on a new venture:  Bird’s Word PR, a publicity company focused on Roots music.

These days, he’s interested most in making sure talented musicians get the recognition they deserve and works to promote and support the collective and inspiring work of bringing of music to the music lovers of the world.