Laith Al-Saadi

Laith Al-Saadi
Born (1977-10-05) October 5, 1977
Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1992–present
Websitelaithalsaadi.com

Laith Al-Saadi (born October 5, 1977)[1] is an American blues musician from Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Al-Saadi gained nationwide recognition after he won a spot in the 2016 finale of the musical competition series The Voice.[2]

Early life and education

Laith Al-Saadi first learned to sing with the Boys' Choir of Ann Arbor when he was four years old, and then started playing the guitar at age 13.[3] His father is from Baqubah, Iraq and his mother is from Beverly Shores, Indiana.[4] As a student of Ann Arbor's Community High School, he played in the school's jazz band.[2]

Al-Saadi attended the University of Michigan and received a degree in jazz guitar and bass.[3]

Career

Long Time Coming, In the Round, and Real (1992–2014)

In 1992, Al-Saadi joined a local blues band called Blue Vinyl.[3] The group was successful enough to tour the Netherlands, and landed gigs opening for Buddy Guy, Son Seals, Luther Allison, and Taj Mahal.[2] In 2005, Al-Saadi released his first solo album, Long Time Coming. In 2006, Al-Saadi was named "King of the Blues" for the Northern United States by Guitar Center, "making him one of top four blues guitarists in the country".[3] In 2008, Al-Saadi released In the Round. 2013 saw the release of Real, a live-in-the-studio set with Al-Saadi backed by a band including Jimmy Vivino on rhythm guitar, Leland Sklar on bass, Jim Keltner on drums, and Tom Scott on sax.

The Voice and Don't You Give Up On Me (2015–present)

In March 2016, Al-Saadi was chosen to be a contestant on the musical competition series The Voice and gained nationwide recognition after he made it to the finale.[5]

In May 2016, two of Al-Saadi's songs from the album The Complete Season 10 Collection (The Voice Performance) made it to Billboard's Hot Rock Songs chart; "Born Under a Bad Sign" at No. 50 and "We've Got Tonight" at No. 22.[6][7]

  – Studio version of performance reached the top 10 on iTunes
Stage Song Original Artist Date Order Result
Blind Audition "The Letter" Joe Cocker March 1, 2016 2.7 Adam Levine and Blake Shelton turned;
Joined Team Adam
Battle Rounds (Top 48) "Honky Tonk Women" (vs. Matt Tedder) The Rolling Stones March 22, 2016 9.1 Saved by Coach
Knockout Rounds (Top 32) "In Your Eyes" (vs. Jessica Crosbie) Peter Gabriel April 4, 2016 12.5
Live Playoffs (Top 24) "With a Little Help from My Friends" The Beatles April 12, 2016 15.3 Saved by Public Vote
Live Top 12 "Born Under a Bad Sign" Albert King April 18, 2016 17.2
Live Top 11 "Make It Rain" Foy Vance April 25, 2016 19.11
Live Top 10 "The Thrill Is Gone" B. B. King May 2, 2016 21.5
Live Top 9 "We've Got Tonight" Bob Seger May 9, 2016 23.6
Live Semi-finals (Top 8) "One and Only" Adele May 16, 2016 25.4 Middle 3
Semi-finals Instant Save "All Along the Watchtower" Bob Dylan May 17, 2016 26.3 Saved by Twitter Instant Save
Live Finals (Top 4) "White Room" Cream May 23, 2016 27.1 4th place
"Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End" (with Adam Levine) The Beatles 27.5
"Morning Light" (original song) Laith Al-Saadi 27.9
Round Episode / Order Collaborators Song Original Artist References
Live Playoffs Results 16.5 Caroline Burns, Nate Butler, Owen Danoff, Shalyah Fearing and Brian Nhira "Your Song" Elton John
Live Top 1 Results 18.3 Owen Danoff and Shalyah Fearing "If You Want Me to Stay" Sly and the Family Stone
Live Semi-finals (Top 8) 25.7 Hannah Huston "Knock on Wood" Eddie Floyd
The Finale Results 28.4 Joe Walsh "Rocky Mountain Way" Joe Walsh
28.10 Katie Basden and Shalyah Fearing "Georgia on My Mind" Ray Charles

In 2019, Al-Saadi played new acoustic solo shows.[8] In 2020, Al-Saadi won the award for "Best Blues Instrumentalist" at the Detroit Music Awards.[9] He released the album Don't You Give Up on Me in 2024.[10]

Discography

Studio albums

  • Long Time Coming (2005)[11]
  • In the Round (2008)
  • Real (2013)
  • Don't You Give Up on Me (2024)

References

  1. ^ "Laith Al-Saadi Musician". Allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved February 22, 2026.
  2. ^ a b c Deming, Mark. "Laith Al-Saadi". AllMusic. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d ""King of the Blues" at Windsor Hall Sept. 12". Cumberland Times News. September 4, 2009. p. 13. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  4. ^ Klima, Jeff (March 8, 2017). "Laith Al-Saadi, The Voice finalist from Ann Arbor plays Toledo". Toledo City Paper. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  5. ^ Parker, Chris (July 12, 2017). "How Laith Al-Saadi's 15 minutes is propelling his career". Metro Times. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  6. ^ "Hot Rock Songs" (PDF). Billboard (magazine). May 7, 2016. p. 66. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  7. ^ "Hot Rock Songs" (PDF). Billboard (magazine). May 28, 2016. p. 74. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  8. ^ Sinkevics, John (December 20, 2019). "I Let It Come To Me and Pour Out". Traverse City Record-Eagle. p. 9. Retrieved September 23, 2025.
  9. ^ Fair, David (April 20, 2020). "Ann Arbor's Laith Al-Saadi Wins Detroit Music Award And Celebrates 4/20". WEMU. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  10. ^ Manning, Craig (March 23, 2024). "NMC Audio Tech Program Plots Fundraiser Concert". The Ticker. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
  11. ^ Milo, Jeff (October 30, 2017). ""Music of Extreme Self-Expression" Interview w/ Laith Al-Saadi". Ecurrent.com. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
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