Powerful blues from the bayou will be delivered by Tab Benoit at the Bing

When John Fogerty sang “Born on the Bayou” with Creedence Clearwater Revival during the iconic band’s prime back in the ‘60s, it was belted out from a distance. Fogerty grew up in Northern California but the song worked.

Tab Benoit was born on the bayou. The veteran blues vocalist-guitarist’s gritty, earnest and at times melancholy songs smack of the Louisiana bog.

Benoit, 55, crafts what has been dubbed “bayou blues.”

“I don’t label anything,” Benoit said while calling from New Orleans. “You can call it what you want. Other people come up with these names. I just make music. I think you can call what I do country blues. I think people hear what I do and connect a region with it.”

Benoit’s swampy blues hits with a visceral punch. There isn’t much of a commercial outlet. Constant touring is required, which is why Benoit is such a road dog. The experience has paid off.

A Benoit show is a treat. He plays with such ferocity that his concerts are a throwback to the performances of long-passed legends such as Albert Collins or Albert King.

Benoit, who will perform Saturday at the Bing Crosby Theater, pens intense and wonderfully ragged songs with potent guitar lines. He’s also adept delivering covers. His searing take of the classic Screamin’ Jay Hawkins cut “I Put a Spell on You” is a mind-bending treat.

“I’m fine playing my originals or covers,” Benoit said. “It’s fun doing covers. It’s been done for years in the blues world. Playing originals shows where you come from. They’re fun to play live.”

Benoit is also adept at connecting with a crowd. His banter is amusing and he’s playful when he’s not laying down his searing licks.

“When I get up there I have fun,” Benoit said. “I’ve been doing this for so many years but I still have a great time.”

As a teenager, Benoit picked up the guitar and was immersed in old-school blues. “I loved John Lee Hooker and B.B. King,” Benoit said. “I wanted to learn where rock and roll came from and I got into the blues and I never let go.”

Benoit has built his audience with solid albums and strong, dependable live play. Along the way he has earned critical acclaim and scored a Grammy nomination for his 2006 album, “Brother to the Blues.”

“It was interesting being nominated for a Grammy in the traditional blues category when I added some country to that album,” Benoit said. “I was a big country fan as a kid and I still love country. So I put some country on that album and it gets nominated for a Grammy. Go figure.”

Benoit has never followed a trend. If he wants to add a sonic element to his music, so be it. That has made him one of the more intriguing recording artists on the circuit since he just tries to do the right thing in the studio. He has the same approach when he’s not writing or recording.

When not recording and touring, Benoit works on environmental issues with Voice of the Wetlands, an organization he started to helps restore local wetlands and bring awareness to the coastal erosion in Southern Louisiana. Benoit released his “Voice of the Wetlands” album in 2005 as a benefit for the cause. Such tracks as “Me Donkey Want Water” and “Bayou Breeze” addressed the crisis. Benoit went a step further, going to Capitol Hill to discuss the wetlands issue.

“We have to keep the pressure on the politicians until they do the right thing,” Benoit said. “How can we not save the wetlands?”