GREG NAGY
A multi-faceted artist in the classic sense, Greg Nagy's songwriting, singing, and guitar work reveal a deeply personal sound infused with soul, R&B, rock, Americana, and blues. His debut release, Walk That Fine Thin Line (2010), earned a prestigious Best New Artist BMA nomination from the Blues Foundation in Memphis and drew praise from critics at DownBeat, All About Jazz, Blues Revue, Chicago Tribune, Detroit Free Press, Living Blues, Hittin' The Note, Elmore Magazine, among others. DJs throughout North America, Europe, and Australia responded enthusiastically as the album debuted at #14 on the Living Blues Radio Charts and peaked at #3 on XM Satellite Radio.
Nagy raised the bar with his follow-up album, Fell Toward None, which Ken Bays of Rolling Stone named one of the best releases of 2011. The album also drew high praise from Bruce Iglauer (Alligator Records), Sing Out! Magazine, About.com, and others. The record solidified Nagy's place among contemporary blues artists and again climbed to #3 on XM Radio.
Following the success of his sophomore album, Nagy was honored with a performance at B.B. King's Blues Club in Memphis for the Blues Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony—an event attended by icons including Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, and Allen Toussaint—further cementing his rising profile.
Nagy's third release, Stranded (2015), an eclectic blend of original blues, soul, and R&B, earned four stars from both Soul Bag and DownBeat, along with high praise from Vintage Guitar, Blues in Britain, and others. Stranded spent 14 weeks at #1 and seven consecutive months in the Top Ten on the Roots Music Report Soul/R&B charts. With heavy rotation on SiriusXM and airplay worldwide, the album appeared on DownBeat's Best of 2015 list and was named the #2 Soul/R&B Album of the Year by Roots Music Report.
Other Projects
Greg spent five years (2005–2010) as a performing, writing, producing, and recording member of the acclaimed Michigan band Root Doctor. Their album Change Our Ways earned a BMA nomination in the Soul Blues category and reached the Top Ten on the Living Blues Radio Charts in 2007.
In 2014 Nagy recorded a duet with Georgia Music Hall of Famer E.G. Kight on her BMA-nominated album Bad Times (produced by legendary producer Paul Hornsby). More recently, he contributed guitar and vocals to Grammy-winning artist Bobby Murray's Love Letters From Detroit, singing the title track—written about Murray's former boss of 23 years, Etta James. The album won a Detroit Music Award in 2022.
From 2021 to 2024, Greg toured with Larry McCray.
On October 1, 2024, Nagy returned to his solo career with his fourth album, The Real You, which topped multiple charts for several months, including Living Blues, American Blues Scene, the International Blues Broadcasters Association chart, the Roots Music Report Contemporary Blues Chart, and the Canadian Blues charts. The album also received regular airplay on SiriusXM.
Exactly one year later, on October 1, 2025, Nagy released Just A Little More Time. The album received international airplay and critical acclaim. In April 2026, the record earned Greg the prestigious Michigan Music Award for Best Blues Album, adding another major milestone to his acclaimed solo career. He also recorded vocals alongside Ronnie Earl and Nick Tabarias (a.k.a. Nicky T) on Tabarias' May 2026 release, Ain't Wasting Time.
In June 2026, Detroit-based Funky D Records, run by Tino Gross (producer for R.L. Burnside and drummer for John Lee Hooker), released the posthumous album Blues Shack by former Albert King and Otis Rush bassist James Cloyd. Greg sang backing vocals and played lead guitar on "I Won't Cry," a song he co-wrote with Jim Alfredson that originally appeared on Nagy's BMA-nominated debut album, Walk That Fine Thin Line.
Elevator Pitch
Greg Nagy is a unique, soulful, compelling, and powerful performer whose recordings have earned widespread praise from industry leaders, audiences, talent buyers, and reviewers alike. Whether performing solo acoustically or with a full band, his live shows are not to be missed.
Bio written with contributions from:
Frank Hadley (DownBeat Magazine)
Ken Bays (Rolling Stone)
Richard Shurman (Grammy-winning producer for Johnny Winter, Roy Buchanan, Albert Collins, Robert Cray, and others)