Blues group Shawn Holt and the Teardrops will perform at the Waterhole in Saranac Lake Sunday at 7 p.m. The show is hosted by and is a benefit concert for the local arts center, BluSeed Studios. (Photo provided)

SARANAC LAKE — Shawn Holt was born into the blues. His father Morris, better known as Magic Slim, was a renowned guitarist and singer with an authentic Chicago style. Magic used to take Shawn on tour with him when he was just a little boy.

“I grew up around a lot of music, especially a lot of blues musicians,” Holt said. “My father would take me on the road, and I guess it just kind of stuck with me. I remember vans and hotels and huge festivals. I guess it was in my blood.”

Shawn Holt and the Teardrops will perform at the Waterhole Sunday at 7 p.m. The show is hosted by and is a benefit concert for the local arts center, BluSeed Studios.

The Teardrops were formerly led by Magic. Holt started playing guitar in the group when he was a teenager. Magic died in 2013 because of heart, lung and kidney problems. Holt had to step up and lead the band without his dad there.

“I had to record a CD months after my father died,” he said. “We were all crying in the studio, but we put pure emotion into that record, and it won two awards. My father is my biggest influence and inspiration — him and life itself.”

The oldest forms of blues tend to use just acoustic guitar, vocals and harmonica. The Chicago style, which Holt plays, adds bass, drums, piano and an electric amplifier with some distortion. Holt’s songs like “You done me wrong” and “Buddy buddy friend” exhibit that driving guitar and boisterous vocals made popular by artists such as Muddy Waters, Freddie King and Buddy Guy.

“It’s pure emotion,” he said. “Of course, I play traditional blues, and I pay homage to my dad and all the old guys, but at some point in time, you have to be yourself. I consider myself a different kind of blues guy. I’ve got a lot of energy.”

Though the blues is American in nature, Holt said its popularity is widespread and international audiences love it. He’s often asked how European audiences react to the blues.

“Europeans love American folk music, especially if it’s played the purest and closest to the original sound as possible,” Holt said. “Every Europeans tour, I’ve played in the last four years, I’ve sold out every show. Even in places like Spain, they just love it. They’re thirsty for American folk music. We love it over here, too, but you’ve got to look at the big picture. There’s, like, 100,000 so-called blues bands in the United States, and maybe 200 in Europe. They don’t get it as much as people here in the States do. It’s a treat for them. Another thing I’ve realized at European shows — there’s no one on their cell phones. No one talks. They sit, and they listen. Even if they can’t understand the words you’re saying, they give you their undivided attention. They come to hear the music.”

Holt plays lead guitar and sings for the Teardrops. Guitar and cathartic vocals are the foundation blues music. Holt said one isn’t necessarily more important than the other, and sometimes they don’t even have to mesh so perfectly.

“Good blues is whatever comes from the heart,” he said. “You can be a great guitar singer, but can’t sing, yet you still play the blues.”

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If you go…

What: Shawn Holt and the Teardrops play fundraiser for BluSeed Studios

When: Sunday at 7 p.m.

Where: The Waterhole, 48 Main St., Saranac Lake

How much: $20 for general admission, and $40 for VIP