GA-20

Few blues trios take their name from equipment, but GA-20 borrows it from a guitar amplifier that Gibson made between 1950 and 1961. The Boston, Massachusetts band is made up of Matthew Stubbs, Cody Nilsen and Josh Kiggans, and it plays Chicago blues in a stripped-down style that leans on heavy distortion and leaves out the bass. Their sound looks back to the 1950s and 1960s, and at home they have been nominated for Blues Artist of the Year at the Boston Music Awards eight years running.

The band began in 2018, when Matthew Stubbs had time off from playing with Charlie Musselwhite. Their debut album, Lonely Soul, appeared in October 2019, and the 2021 covers record GA-20 Does Hound Dog Taylor debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Blues Chart. Crackdown followed in 2022, also topping the Billboard Blues Chart. In 2024 Cody Nilsen replaced Pat Faherty, and his first single with the band, "Cryin' & Pleadin'", spent five consecutive weeks at number 1 on B.B. King's Bluesville Top 15 Rack of Blues in 2025. In 2026 the band signed with New West Records and announced a full-length album featuring Charlie Musselwhite.