Jim Armstrong (guitarist)

Last updated

Jim Armstrong
Born (1944-07-24) 24 July 1944 (age 79)
Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
Instrument(s) Guitar
Years active1960s–present

James Armstrong (born 24 July 1944) is a guitarist from Northern Ireland.

Contents

Armstrong's musical career started while he was still a schoolboy, when he played in Belfast's top showband, The Melotones, who were resident in the city's Romano's Ballroom. Armstrong played and recorded in the mid-'60s with Van Morrison and Them, touring both Europe and America (where he lived – playing and recording – for 4 years). Of the 51 tracks recorded by Morrison and Them (1964–66), Armstrong played on over half, and while living in America met and played with Jim Morrison & The Doors, Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa. During this time he was voted 3rd best guitarist in the world (after Jimi Hendrix & Frank Zappa).

After leaving Them in 1969 Armstrong again teamed up with vocalist Kenny McDowell (who had replaced Van Morrison) in Sk'Boo, alongside Ricky McCutcheon and Colm Connolly. Then he and McDowell (born Kenneth McDowell, 21 December 1944, in Belfast, Co Antrim) formed the band Truth (1969–71) in Chicago with bassist Curtis Bachman (ex The Buckinghams) and drummer Reno Smith (ex Baby Huey & the Babysitters). They also added ex-Them keyboards/vibes/flute/sax player Ray Elliott (born Raymond Elliott, 13 September 1943, in Belfast, Co Antrim). In the late '70s, after playing with McDowell in Spike, Jim Armstrong was guitarist with Northern Irish rock outfit Light. Armstrong and his 'Light' bandmate Brian Scott also played in a brief 'Them' tour of Germany in 1979. [1] In the '80s Amstrong and McDowell performed with a reformed Sk'Boo. It was with Sk'Boo that he regularly played Belfast's Errigle Inn.

At home in Northern Ireland where he worked for the civil service, he was a sought after session musician, and has been involved in many locally produced records and projects with Ulster Television, BBC Television and other radio stations. After touring for 9 years with one of the many incarnations of 'Them – The Belfast Blues Band' in the '90s with Eric Wrixon [2] (the person who gave 'Them' their name, but never toured with the original band), he formed the Jim Armstrong Band with Scottish singer and harp player Jim Gilchrist, bass player Ali McKenzie (ex Belfast Blues Band) and drummer Siggi Heilek (ex Belfast Blues Band). [3] He has played a huge variety of music in his time but blues is his main love. He is currently (2015) living in Las Vegas having moved to the USA following a health glitch when touring with his Jim Armstrong Band in Germany.

Discography

Them

  • Call My Name / Bring 'em on In (March 1966, Decca Records)
  • Richard Cory / Don't You Know (May 1966, Decca Records)
  • Dirty Old Man (At The Age of Sixteen) / Square Room (August 1967, Sully Records 1021)
  • Walking in the Queen's Garden / I Happen To Love You (November 1967, Ruff Records 1088)
  • Dirty Old Man (At The Age of Sixteen) / Square Room (December 1967, Tower Records; newly-recorded versions of both tracks)
  • Walking in the Queen's Garden / I Happen To Love You (December 1967, Tower Records 384; re-issue of Ruff Records 1088)
  • But It's Alright / Square Room (April 1968, Tower Records 407; 'B' side edited version of album track)
  • Waltz of the Flies / We've All Agreed To Help (1969, Tower Records 461)
  • Corina / Dark Are The Shadows (March 1969, Tower Records 493)

Truth

Light

  • The Break / Castles in the Sand (1978, Mint Records CHEW 21)
  • Dry Your Eyes / Turn Out The Light (1980, Shock Rock SRS 501)

Sk'Boo

  • It's A Hard Road / Music Is Life / Talking Pictures-God's Peace in Mind (1982, Cuecomber Records CUE 1001)

Them – The Belfast Blues Band

Jim Armstrong Band

Notes

Jim owned a 1959 Gibson Les Paul bought in America touring with Them in 1968 now owned and used frequently by Mike McCready of the Grunge rock group Pearl Jam. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Doors</span> American rock band

The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts of the 1960s, primarily due to Morrison's lyrics and voice, along with his erratic stage persona and legal issues. The group is widely regarded as an important figure of the era's counterculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Van Morrison</span> Northern Irish musician (born 1945)

Sir George Ivan MorrisonOBE is a singer-songwriter and musician from Northern Ireland whose recording career spans seven decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Moody Blues</span> English band

The Moody Blues were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in May 1964. The band initially consisted of Graeme Edge (drums), Denny Laine (guitar/vocals), Mike Pinder (keyboards/vocals), Ray Thomas (multi-instrumentalist/vocals), and Clint Warwick (bass/vocals). Originally part of the British beat and R&B scene of the early–mid 1960s, the band came to prominence with the UK No. 1 and US Top 10 single "Go Now" in late 1964/early 1965. Laine and Warwick both left the band in 1966, with Edge, Pinder and Thomas recruiting new members Justin Hayward (guitar/vocals) and John Lodge (bass/vocals). They embraced the psychedelic rock movement of the late 1960s, with their second album, 1967's Days of Future Passed, being a fusion of rock with classical music that established the band as pioneers in the development of art rock and progressive rock. It has been described as a "landmark" and "one of the first successful concept albums".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Turtles</span> American rock band

The Turtles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1965 who achieved several top 40 hits, including "It Ain't Me Babe" (1965), "You Baby" (1966), "Happy Together" (1967), "She'd Rather Be with Me" (1967), "Elenore" (1968), and "You Showed Me" (1969).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Witherspoon</span> American jump blues singer

James Witherspoon was an American jump blues singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Bell</span> Northern Irish rock and blues musician

Eric Robin Bell is a Northern Irish rock and blues musician, best known as a founding member and the original guitarist of the rock group Thin Lizzy, of which he was a member from 1969 to 1973. After his time in Thin Lizzy, he briefly fronted his own group before joining the Noel Redding Band in the mid-1970s. He has since released several solo albums and performs regularly with a blues-based trio, the Eric Bell Band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Them (band)</span> Northern Irish rock band

Them were a Northern Irish rock band formed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in April 1964, most prominently known for their 1964 garage rock standard "Gloria" and launching Van Morrison's musical career. The original five-member band consisted of Morrison, Alan Henderson, Ronnie Milling, Billy Harrison, and Eric Wrixon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Carl Black</span> American drummer and vocalist (1938–2008)

James Inkanish, Jr., known professionally as Jimmy Carl Black, was an original member of the Mothers of Invention, providing drums and vocals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Persuasions</span> American a cappella group

The Persuasions were an American a cappella group that formed in Brooklyn, New York in 1962, singing under corner streetlights and in subway corridors. Their style combined gospel, soul, early rock, and jazz into melodic five-part harmonies. Since being discovered by Frank Zappa, the Persuasions have released 23 studio albums to date.

Eric Wrixon was a musician from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and a founding member of Them and Thin Lizzy. He came up with the band name "Them", but as he was a minor his parents declined to sign a recording contract on his behalf and he was replaced in July 1964 prior to recording with the band. By August 1965, he had completed his studies and very briefly returned to Them.

Eire Apparent were a band from Northern Ireland, noted for launching the careers of Henry McCullough and Ernie Graham, and for having Jimi Hendrix play on, and produce, their only album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roadhouse Blues</span> 1970 song by the Doors

"Roadhouse Blues" is a song by the American rock band the Doors from their 1970 album Morrison Hotel. It was released as the B-side of "You Make Me Real", which peaked at No. 50 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 41 in Canada. "Roadhouse Blues" charted in its own right on the Cash Box Top 100, peaking at No. 76. The song became a concert staple for the group and it has been covered by numerous artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turn On Your Love Light</span> Song first recorded by Bobby Bland in 1961

"Turn On Your Love Light" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by Bobby Bland in 1961. It was an important R&B and pop chart hit for Bland and has become one of his most identifiable songs. A variety of artists have recorded it, including the Grateful Dead, who made it part of their concert repertoire.

Ernie Graham was a Northern Irish singer, guitarist and songwriter, active from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s.

Sam Apple Pie were a British blues-rock band, of the late 1960s and 1970s, noted for having played at the first Glastonbury Festival in 1970, and for playing a role in the early careers of several musicians including Gary Fletcher, Dave Charles and Malcolm Morley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Wilson (drummer)</span> Musical artist

John Wilson is a Northern Irish musician. He has had a prolific career, playing drums with bands such as Them, Taste and Stud. Previously with 'The Misfits', Wilson became a member of one of the numerous line-ups of Them from September 1965 to March 1966. Alongside Van Morrison, Alan Henderson, Jim Armstrong and Ray Elliott, Wilson played on recording sessions for Them's second album Them Again. Visa restrictions meant that he had to be substituted by stand-in drummers for initial live dates abroad, due to his youth. He was replaced by Dave Harvey upon leaving Them, and went on to work with Belfast groups Derek & The Sounds and Cheese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Pinder</span> British musician (1941–2024)

Michael Thomas Pinder was an English rock musician. He was a founding member and the original keyboard player of the rock group the Moody Blues. He left the group following the recording of the band's ninth album Octave in 1978. Pinder was renowned for his technological contributions to rock music, most notably in the development and emergence of the Mellotron in 1960s rock music. In 2018, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Moody Blues. He was the last surviving member of the group's original lineup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Wheels</span> 1960s Irish rock band

The Wheels were a 1960s R&B and blues-influenced rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland, who came from the same music scene that produced the better-known band, Them, led by Van Morrison. Their best-known membership consisted of Brian Rossi, Rod Demick, Herbie Armstrong, Tito Tinsley, and Victor Catling (drums). Morrison was a member of the band, briefly, before they became known as the Wheels. They are best remembered for writing and recording the original version of "Bad Little Woman", later covered in America by The Shadows of Knight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackie McAuley</span> Musical artist

Jackie McAuley is a Northern Irish guitarist and keyboard player, known particularly for his work with the bands Them and Trader Horne.

Roderick Demick is a British guitarist and bassist who has played with many leading musicians.

References

  1. Truth – Of Them And Other Tales liner notes, by John Berg (1995)
  2. Garage Hangover Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  3. Jim Armstrong Band biography
  4. Video on YouTube