Eric Johnson, Jimmie Vaughan, Grady, Omar Dykes with Stephen Barber, Jake Andrews, Jane Bond, The...

Eric Johnson

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Eric Johnson is on the short list of all-time guitar heroes, but his creative path has taken some interesting twists and turns. He has earned critical and commercial success, a Grammy, accolades from his peers and unabashed devotion from his fans. However, his story as a guitarist, vocalist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer is not a "typical" one. But this three-decade journey has led to his new 2005 Favored Nations studio album 'Bloom.'

'Bloom' features 16 new songs ranging the stylistic gamut, which has always been Johnson's approach on his solo albums. He is one of the precious few musicians to fully succeed artistically and commercially with this philosophy. The rock 'n' roll raveup "Summer Jam" fits comfortably alongside the bright Bob Dylan cover "My Back Pages," the hypnotic "Sea Secret," lyrically provocative "Sad Legacy" and the rollicking country jam "Tribute to Jerry Reed." His already-astonishing gifts as a songwriter and producer, in addition to his jaw-dropping guitar technique, have grown substantially on this album. 'Bloom' will appeal to Johnson's longtime fans while also bringing new ones into the fold.

Johnson is a native of Austin, Texas, which is steeped in blues and country music. But Johnson's music reflects a broader range of influences in addition to blues and country, particularly pop, rock and jazz/fusion. His meticulously-produced albums are almost always equally divided between instrumentals and vocal songs showcasing all of his musical interests.

By the time Johnson had reached his teens, he was making waves on the Austin scene. At 16, he was a member of a band called Mariani and by 21, he was part of Electromagnets, a jazz-rock band with an intense cult following.



Johnson's burgeoning reputation in the late 1970s and early 1980s led to session work with the likes of Cat Stevens, Carole King and Christopher Cross. In fact, he played on Cross' Grammy-sweeping, self-titled 1980 debut album.





Read more: http://www.myspace.com/ericjohnsonspace#ixzz0zQdp1NNS
Jimmie Vaughan

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When Jimmie Vaughan says "I have the best job in the world," he isn't kidding. For more than four decades, the guitar-slinging Texan legend has been earning his living rockin' the blues, and nothing makes the man happier. But now, Vaughan is even more excited about his gig than usual—for his newest release he's consulted the vast blues encyclopedia that resides deep inside of his head and come up with a nearly all-covers set best described by its unambiguous title: Blues, Ballads and Favorites.

Self-produced and recorded in Vaughan's hometown of Austin, the newest offering by the co-founder of the iconic, still-missed Fabulous Thunderbirds spotlights a wild array of tunes originally recorded by the likes of Roy Milton, Jimmy Reed, Roscoe Gordon and Little Richard, with a Willie Nelson favorite tossed in. No particular criteria were used in selecting the tracks to include; Vaughan simply narrowed down a long list of songs he liked and Blues, Ballads and Favorites was the ultimate result.

"I just wanted to do these songs and that was it, really," says Vaughan. ‘"And like all of my albums this one is 100% totally selfish. I want people to like what I do but at the same time I have this strong feeling that if I don't like it, I can't expect them to. These were just songs that I liked for one reason or another. Some of them were a little scary to me because I hold them up high, but I just did them anyway. These are the ones that made it."

Recorded with a solid group of mostly local musicians, with longtime cohort Lou Ann Barton lending her vocals to a handful of tunes, Blues, Ballads and Favorites is Vaughan's first new release in nearly nine years. "I got married and had twins, and a lot of things happened in between," he says, but as soon as the music emits its mighty roar, it's clear that nothing has dulled Jimmie Vaughan's mastery of his axe or his powerful vocal delivery. "I'm just about to turn 59 years old and I'm having a good time," he says. "I've got my second wind here."

Vaughan's love affair with blues and rock 'n' roll goes back to his childhood in Dallas. Listening to R&B and blues on the radio, seeing Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show, watching to his uncles pick country tunes on their guitars—all of those experiences helped shape the young Jimmie's musical interests. Then it happened. While home from school recuperating from a broken collarbone, "My dad's friend gave me a guitar and said, ‘Play this,'" Vaughan remembers. "They were afraid I'd get in trouble around the house. It was an acoustic cowboy guitar with three strings. I learned a Jimmy Reed thing and I've been playing ever since. After about a week I knew this was what I wanted to do. I thought to myself, if I really practice I can get some money and get a car and I can split."

He got the car (he now collects them) and a bunch of guitars but Jimmie Vaughan never did leave Texas. He began playing around the Lone Star State with a series of bands, most notably the Chessmen, who opened once for a hotshot new guitarist named Jimi Hendrix. Then, in 1974, Vaughan hooked up with vocalist and harmonica player Kim Wilson and the Fabulous Thunderbirds were born. At first, Vaughan recalls, "People told us you can't do this. You can't have a blues band. Why do you want to do this? You're crazy." But the blues fanatics carried on regardless and, slowly but surely, proved the doubters wrong. In 1979 the band released their debut album and their fan base grew steadily from there. Even as rock music morphed around them—with trends such as punk and hip-hop making their grand arrivals—the Fab T-Birds, as they were affectionately known, stuck with the high-octane blues-rock formula that earned their music the tag "Blue Wave" in the media.

The T-Birds reached their peak of popularity with the 1986 release of Tuff Enuff, a classic of the genre that still sounds as monstrous today as it did nearly a quarter-century ago. Jimmie stayed with the group another four years after that, and his first move following his exit from the group was to cut an album with his kid brother, not a bad little guitar picker himself: Stevie Ray Vaughan. Family Style was a huge hit upon its release in the fall of 1990, but its success came with a huge price tag: Stevie Ray's death in a helicopter crash just weeks after the album's completion. To this day, Jimmie can't wrap his head around the tragic event. "The whole thing doesn't seem like it happened. It still stings," he says, "but I'm proud of the record we did together."

Assessing his brother's prodigious talent and meteoric rise in the 1980s, Vaughan says, "I don't want this to sound funny, but I think one of the reasons he was so good was because he had to beat me and he had to try harder."

It took Jimmie a few years to come to grips with Stevie Ray's untimely passing, and only then was he able to launch his own solo career in earnest. Strange Pleasure (1994), his debut under his own name, was produced by Nile Rodgers and included Dr. John among its cast of players, working out on a set mostly comprised of original Vaughan compositions. The same formula—with Rodgers and the Doctor once again on hand—was utilized for 1998's Out There, while Do You Get the Blues? (released, ironically, on September 11, 2001) found Vaughan more fully embracing the rootsy down-home Texas blues sound he grew up with.

Each of the songs on Blues, Ballads and Favorites, naturally, has a special meaning to Vaughan, who's absorbed the essence of these prime slices of Americana for nearly all his life. Several tracks, including the late Doug Sahm's "Why, Why, Why" and Billy "The Kid" Emerson's "The Pleasure Is All Mine," feature a tight, funky horn section, and several spotlight Barton singing in tandem with Vaughan, among them the ballads "I'm Leaving It Up To You" (written by Don "Sugarcane" Harris and Dewey Terry) and Little Richard's "Send Me Some Lovin'."

Says Vaughan about his vocal partner, "I go back with Lou Ann before the Thunderbirds. When we met she was 18 and sang a Little Richard medley and I never recovered. She was wild. She's just got a lot of feeling and we like the same kind of stuff."

Other highlights include Vaughan's own "Comin' & Goin'," a self-penned instrumental, and the Willie Nelson classic ballad "Funny (How Time Slips Away)." Hammond B-3 organ master Bill Willis—a veteran of the King Records hits of James Brown and Bill Doggett—sings that one on the album. Unfortunately, Willis didn't live to hear the finished result: he passed away shortly after recording his parts for Blues, Ballads and Favorites. "He was like my musical father," says Vaughan.

Vaughan relishes the opportunity to pass these songs down to a new generation of blues fans. But mostly he just enjoys singing and playing these songs that have traveled with him throughout the decades. For Jimmie Vaughan music has always been about one thing: having a good ol' time. "It's 120% American and I just love it," he says. "It's fun."

And when it comes down to it, that's all you really need to know.
Grady

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Grady originally consisted of Canadian vocalist and guitarist Gordie Johnson (now known as "Grady" Johnson), Canadian bass guitarist "Big" Ben Richardson, and Chris Layton on drums. Prior to Grady, Johnson was the frontman for Big Sugar, Layton was the drummer for Stevie Ray Vaughan's Double Trouble rhythm section, and Richardson was with The Phantoms in Toronto.

Grady often plays at The Continental Club, and did an eight stop Canadian tour in March 2005, and appeared at the University of Regina to play a free show in September 2005. This was followed up by a full-length album called Y.U. So Shady?. After the issue of a second album, A Cup of Cold Poison, Grady made two extensive tours in Canada early in 2008.

The band caught the attention of Jello Biafra of The Dead Kennedys who released Y.U. So Shady? in America.

Chris Layton was replaced on drums by Billy Maddox in early 2006. Billy Maddox is also a veteran of the music scene, having played with Alien Love Child and The Eric Johnson Band.

In 2006, Grady shot a video for “Woman Got My Devil” which was played in Canada on MuchMoreMusic. Produced by Michael Maxxis and directed by David Hogan, the video features Witchbaby from A&E's Rollergirls, as well as a number of other Rollergirls in supporting roles. It was shot in Luck, Texas, an 1800s Western town owned by Willie Nelson.

In 2007, Grady released their second album, entitled A Cup of Cold Poison, which was recorded at Willie Nelson's Pedernales Studio. The album features appearances by Willie Nelson, Alejandro Escovedo and Ron Hynes. The band released a single for "You’re What’s Happening Baby".

In September 2007 drummer Billy Maddox left Grady due to a pre-existing health condition. The band began touring again in November 2007 with a new drummer, Nina "The Queena" Singh of Austin based band Kitty Gordon.

Grady's next full-length album, Good As Dead, was released in Canada on C12 Records in 2009. The album contains a cover version of The Tragically Hip's "Boots or Hearts", which Gordie Johnson described as "volatile", as well as the eponymous "Good as Dead", penned by Johnson. The record showcases the "Cowboy Metal" sound and features backup vocals by drummer Nina Singh.

In April 2010, Gordie Johnson made his directorial debut when he wrote and directed the video for "If I Was King" on location in Texas. It is dedicated to Johnson's life-long friend, comedian Eric Tunney.

Grady released the live DVD/CD during the "Calling All My Demons" tour in Fall 2010. Footage for the DVD was requested by Gordie Johnson from all in attendance at Grady's October 2009 show at the Pyramid Cabaret in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

In August 2011 drummer Nina "The Queena" Singh left Grady to join Court Yard Hounds. Drummer Trinidad Leal from Dixie Witch has been working with the band since.

While considered an "American" band by location of establishment, most members of Grady are Canadian.
Omar Dykes

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