Johnny Whitehill

Johnny Whitehill - Guitar Slinger - 1998 - Indigo

Hard to believe that Johnny Whitehill has been voted best British Blues guitarist four times, and still his name is so unfamiliar to so many people. Johnny is probably best known as a guitarist with the respected UK blues band, Paul Lamb & The King Snakes. "Guitar Slinger" is a good album, covering many guitar styles. His Chicago style blues guitar is really top notch. He has written ten of the songs on this album, and it's a good album from a very experienced blues guitarist. Check out PL & TKS great "John Henry Jumps In" album featuring Johnny Whitehill on guitar.

This is what Paul Lamb says about Johnny and "Guitar Slinger": John Whitehill, the guitar players guitar player. 'The Guitar Slinger' aptly titled on this first wonderful solo CD. - "Who knows more about the guitar slinger than me? I've known John about 19 years and we have worked off and on the road for about 17-18 years. I know John's moods, his good and bad habits, his likes and dislikes, and, his dark seedy bits more than anybody else. But this man is a Blus Man through and through. Voted Blues Guitar Player of the Year 1997, a much awaited honour he rightly deserves. This CD is what the blues world has been waiting for. On the CD John captures the moods and guitar styles that have influenced him over the years. I am not saying this is a cover CD, no way! Ten original songs all written by John. He has incorporated the styles handed down to him by his heroes like BB King, Albert and Freddy King, T Bone Walker, Elmore James, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Peter Green, the list goes on. The style of John's has not just come overnight. He has listened hard to his heroes over the years, paid his dues twice over and now reaps the benefits of having his own unique style, a man I'm proud to work with. The CD also boasts a fine pedigree of blues musicians, hand picked by John himself. The great Sam Kelly on drums, a drummer of skill and power and a great range of dynamics, a much sought after drummer on the session circuit today. Rod Demick on bass, another great musician on the scene today. Rod also sings on the majority of the songs, his rich smokey vocals working well on John's songs. Taking vocals on the other songs is Little Mo, a friend of mine and John's from our hell raising days in Newcastle. A little lady with a large and powerful voice. (Thanks Mo). Also, on keyboards, a great blues pianist Steve Weston, one of the finest on the blues scene today. Listen to Steve play Otis Span Styles on the slow numbers. And yours truly on harmonica it was both a privilege and a pleasure to play three numbers on Johnny's CD. When listening to this CD you will hear something special. This one is up there with all of the blues greats. So I take my hat off to this quite modest talented man and say to you all... sit back and enjoy the great blues sound of John Whitehill (The Guitar Slinger)." © Paul Lamb. www.paullamb.com/cd/guita_cd.htm

TRACKS

1 Hold On
2 Easy
3 Guitar Slinger
4 Since You'Ve Been Gone
5 I'M Tired
6 West End Blues
7 Muddy'S Blues
8 Guitar Swinger
9 No More Trouble
10 Sun Is Shining
11 Bone Picking
12 As The Years Go Passing By
13 Guilty
14 Blow Wind Blow

All songs composed by Johnny Whitehill, except "Sun Is Shining" by Elmore James, "As the Years Go Passing By" by Deadric Malone, "Guilty" by Randy Newman, and "Blow Wind Blow" by Muddy Waters

MUSICIANS

Johnny Whitehill Guitar
Rod Demick Bass (Electric), Vocals
Steve Weston Keyboards
Sam Kelly Drums
Paul Lamb Harmonica, Foot Stomping
Little Mo Vocals

SHORT BIO

Guitarist Johnny Whitehill has been a fixture on the British blues scene since the 1970s, emerging as a star while a member of the Blues Burglars, the band he formed with harpist Paul Lamb in the early '80s. As a guitarist, his inspirations and influences came from the likes of B.B. King, Freddie King, Albert King, T-Bone Walker, Albert Collins, Robert Johnson, Blind Boy Fuller, Lightnin' Hopkins, et al., and, later on, fellow British bluesman Peter Green, among others. He has recorded albums of his own intermittently, amid two decades working mostly with Paul Lamb & the King Snakes — the successor band to the Blues Burglars — and since the opening of the 21st century has toured England with his own group, Johnny Whitehill's Real Deal. © Bruce Eder, allmusic.com

MORE ABOUT JOHNNY WHITEHILL

John was an original member of the Blues Burglars in the 1980’s, his returning to Tyneside after 15 years of international playing time with Paul Lamb and the Kingsnakes was the catalyst for a rebirth of the Burglars unique brand of Chicago Blues. This is hardly surprising, as John has been voted Best British Blues Guitarist 4 times and is one of the few British blues guitarists since Peter Green to convincingly capture the tone and the phrasing (many players get the tone but are defeated by the need to know where and how to place the notes or vice versa – John understands both) of Chicago style blues guitar, as heard through the late 50’s and early-mid 60’s. John began playing guitar at 17 (having learned to play blues mainly from records, but having a music training at college), and soon began to work around Ashington, Northumberland, with Bill Sharp and many other locally well-known musicians in bands such as Smokestack Lightnin’ and Barfly. In 1984 John joined the Blues Burglars, a band which had developed organically but eventually fixed on John, Bill Sharp, Ed Bowman and Paul Lamb with the final addition of PJ White. The band quickly became the definitive north east blues band, quite a feat when having to compete with the likes of The Junco Partners and The East Side Torpedoes, who both had strong reputations across the UK. John’s role in this achievement was critical – the authenticity and emotion of his guitar playing made it clear to even unfamiliar or uncommitted audiences that blues was relevant to them and needed to be heard. Blues Burglars sets would almost always have at least one guitar solo so muted, and yet so intense, that the strings could be heard rubbing on the frets – audiences would collectively hold their breath until John broke the tension by leading the band into a thunderous conclusion which emphasised the power of the quiet which had preceded it. Apart from 15 years of touring with Paul Lamb, John has written and released a solo album, “Guitarslinger”, and has played with many well-known names of US and UK blues including Lowell Fulson, Louisiana Red and Eric Burdon. John plays a Fender Stratocaster and his guitar heroes are B.B. King and Peter Green. His favourite food is ‘food’! © www.bluesburglars.co.uk/biogs.html