GA-20

GA-20

GA-20 is a blues group from Boston, United States, active since 2018. The band takes its name from a Gibson guitar amplifier model made between 1950 and 1961. It is formed by Pat Faherty and Matthew Stubbs, with drummer Tim Carman joining in 2019. The group performs as a trio of two guitars, vocals and drums.

Sound and influences

GA-20 is rooted in heavy traditional blues, R&B and rock and roll from the late 1950s and early 1960s. Faherty and Stubbs connect the band to artists including Lazy Lester, J.B. Lenoir, Earl Hooker, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush and Junior Wells. The group is associated with blues, Chicago blues, electric blues and southern rock.

Recordings and chart success

The band’s debut album, Lonely Soul, appears on Karma Chief and Colemine Records and reaches number two on the Billboard blues chart. Its live follow-up, Live: Vol. 1, debuts at number one on the Billboard blues chart. In 2021, the band releases GA-20 Does Hound Dog Taylor: Try It...You Might Like It!, which also reaches number one on the US Billboard Blues Chart.

Matthew Stubbs

Matthew Stubbs spends 13 years as guitarist for blues musician Charlie Musselwhite. He also backs and tours with John Hammond, James Cotton, Junior Watson and James Harman, and leads the instrumental psych-rock band The Antiguas.