AN award-winning blues-rock guitarist will include Kendal in his forthcoming tour of the UK.

Aynsley Lister is returning to the country after a 20 date show in Europe, and kicked off his travels around the UK on December 1 in Putney.

He will play Bootleggers in Kendal tonight (December 8), offering South Lakes audiences the chance to witnesses his famed chops, which have earned him praise from the prestigious likes of American blues-rock legend Joe Bonamassa, who included Lister when asked to list his top blues guitarists this side of the Atlantic.

Lister’s 41-date UK and European tour dovetails the release of his eighth studio album ‘Eyes Wide Open’. It was released on Lister’s own label Straight Talkin’ Records.

Lister started out playing guitar aged eight, and was regularly playing in a bar band by 13. By 18 he had started to release his own music, and formed his own group, in which he played guitar and sang.

Early in his career, he played support slots with the likes of Buddy Guy and John Mayall.

Aynsley Lister will play in Bootleggers tonight.