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Les Sampou has easy command of a full-range of American music styles and it's easy to see why. Her influences range from old timey music by such artists as Elizabeth Cotton and Jimmie Rodgers, to sixties folk music from Joan Baez and Pete Seeger; R&B and Motown tunes by the likes of Percy Sledge, Sam Cooke and Wilson Pickett, and a wide variety of country blues covers by musicians including Memphis Minnie, Robert Johnson, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson and many more. Some of Sampou's more modern influences include Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, and Lowell George of Little Feat. Early on Sampou was taught by her mentor and friend Paul Rishell (W.C. Handy Award winner) a collection of classic country blues songs which she performs to this day. "Sampou is bursting with powerhouse country rock, fluid acoustic folk, and blues tracks to rival Rory Block." (FolkRoots, UK) Sampou takes this Americana history and weaves her own songwriting style through it all. "Discerning music fans hearing Les Sampou for the first time might wonder why her albums aren't selling in the millions. A standing-room-only crowd certainly went home entranced by Sampou; few of today's top songwriters produce more compelling or distinctive music than Sampou." (The Patriot Ledger)