Eli Cook , named one of the top three solo blues artists in the world by UK’s Blues Matters Magazine, will perform at The Sunflower Theatre, 8 East Main St. on Friday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m.

With his slide guitar sound and a husky and heartfelt voice, the young Virginia bluesman opened many times for B.B. King. He has been christened “the best blues singer of his generation” by All Music Guide, and has been featured in Vintage Guitar, Guitar Player and Guitar Edge magazines.

The legendary Son House was known to say “Blues is a feelin’.” Eli Cook’s music echoes that raw honesty – and it’s driving him to the forefront of modern blues. His distinctive blend of contemporary and old-school styles has been called “mystifying and unique” by John Mayall.

Cook took up the guitar as a teenager in the Blue Ridge foothills of Virginia and performed in churches and late-night revivals with only his acoustic and deep baritone voice. Cook recorded and released his first two albums between 2004 and 2007: the all-acoustic, original-roots “Miss Blues’ Child” on the Sledgehammer Blues label, and a heavy blues-rock “ElectricHolyFireWater.” During this time he was invited to open for B.B. King on King’s East Coast tour. Since then, Cook has shared the stage with Johnny Winter, Robert Cray, Parliament-Funkadellic, Gary Clark JR, Taj Mahal, John Mayal and many others. In 2011, Eli released “Ace Jack & King,” a return to roots-blues and heavy guitars. All Music Guide proclaimed that Eli could be “the best blues singer of his generation.”

Cook signed with LA-based label Cleopatra Records in 2013 to begin work on his fifth studio album, featuring guest appearances by Tinsley Ellis, Reese Wynans of Double Trouble, rock legend Leslie West of Mountain, and Artimus Pyle of Lynyrd Skynyrd. The album “Primitive Son” was released in spring 2014.

Advance tickets are $12 at www.sunflowertheatre.org. For more information, visit www.elicook.com.