Joanne Shaw Taylor

Last updated

Joanne Shaw Taylor
Joanne Shaw Taylor, Scarborough, 2010.jpg
Taylor on tour in May 2010
Background information
BornFebruary 1985 (age 39) [1]
Wednesbury, West Midlands, England [2]
Genres Blues rock [3]
Occupation(s)Guitarist, singer
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active2002–present
LabelsSilvertone, Sony Music, Ruf, Keeping the Blues Alive
Website www.joanneshawtaylor.com

Joanne Shaw Taylor (born 1985, England) [4] is an English singer and guitarist. She was discovered by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics at the age of 16. [5]

Contents

Taylor's albums via Ruf Records, White Sugar (2009) and Diamonds in the Dirt (2010), peaked at No. 8 in the US on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart. Her No. 1 album, The Blues Album (2021), was released via Joe Bonamassa's Keeping the Blues Alive Records.

In 2010, Taylor won Best Female Vocalist at the British Blues Awards. She won the same award at the 2011 British Blues Awards, and the Songwriter of the Year award for "Same as It Never Was", from Diamonds in the Dirt.

Early life

Taylor was born in Wednesbury, West Midlands, England. [2] She grew up in Solihull and was inspired in her early teens to play the blues after hearing Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert Collins and Jimi Hendrix. [4] Dave Stewart heard Taylor play and invited her to join his supergroup, D.U.P., on tour in Europe during 2002. [3]

Music career

In May 2009, Taylor released her debut album, White Sugar , via Ruf Records. Taylor's second album was 2010's Diamonds in the Dirt , also on Ruf Records. Both albums peaked at No. 8 in the US, on the Billboard Top Blues Albums chart. In 2010, she won Best Female Vocalist at the British Blues Awards. [6] [7] She won the same award at the 2011 British Blues Awards, and the Songwriter of the Year award for "Same as It Never Was", from Diamonds in the Dirt. [6]

On 4 June 2012, Taylor played lead guitar in Annie Lennox's band at the Diamond Jubilee Concert in London. [8] Taylor played an extended solo during the performance in front of Buckingham Palace, attended by approximately 12,000 people (not counting the many thousands lining The Mall). [9] Just before her solo spot, Taylor's Fuzz Face pedal malfunctioned, leaving a much cleaner guitar sound than usual. However, this apparent misfortune was ameliorated when she was informed that Stevie Wonder had loved her "clean, bluesy, understated tone". [10]

Taylor's fourth studio album, The Dirty Truth, was recorded in Memphis, Tennessee (with producer Jim Gaines). It was released on 22 September 2014. [11] Taylor's fifth studio album, Wild, was released on 30 September 2016. It was recorded in Nashville's Grand Victor Studios, with Kevin Shirley as the producer. [12] The album became her first Top 20 entry in the UK Albums Chart. [13]

In 2018, Taylor signed her first major label contract with Sony Music on their imprint, Silvertone Records. [14] She supported Foreigner at Birmingham's Symphony Hall on 15 May 2018, and at the Royal Albert Hall on 16 May. [15] Following her own headline tour in 2017, Taylor completed a four week tour around the United States, and returned to the UK in late 2018 to play intimate venues around the country. [16] Taylor's sixth album, Reckless Heart, was released on 15 March 2019 in the UK and Europe. It was later released on 17 May in the US. [17] [18]

In 2021, Taylor released the charting single "If That Ain't a Reason", from the No. 1 The Blues Album via Keeping the Blues Alive Records. [19] [20] [21] [22] Produced by Joe Bonamassa, Taylor released Blues from the Heart: Live in 2022. [23] Her single and music video for "Can't You See What You're Doing to Me" features Kenny Wayne Shepherd. [24] [25]

Equipment

Guitars

Taylor primarily uses Fender Telecaster electric guitars, although she also uses a Gibson Les Paul. She has also said she likes Stratocasters for rhythm guitar work. She acquired her main Telecaster, nicknamed 'Junior', at the age of 15. It is a modified 1966 Esquire model purchased secondhand in Denmark Street, London, which has had a Fender Jazz humbucker neck pickup added (in addition to the factory bridge pickup). Additionally, she uses a Fender Albert Collins signature model Telecaster, which was a gift from Joe Bonamassa. [26]

Taylor uses Ernie Ball Slinky top/heavy bottom strings, and usually tunes the guitar to E♭. [27]

Amps

Taylor uses a Bletchley Belchfire 45 with a Marshall cabinet for a heavier sound, and a 1970s Fender Pro Reverb for a cleaner sound. [27]

Pedals

Taylor mainly uses one or two Ibanez Tube Screamer pedals, along with a Holy Grail reverb. On some tracks, she also uses a Vibe Machine for a vibrato effect. [27]

Discography

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beth Hart</span> American blues rock musician

Beth Hart is an American musician from Los Angeles, California. She rose to fame with the release of her 1999 single "LA Song " from her second album Screamin' for My Supper. The single was a number one hit in New Zealand, as well as reaching the top 5 of the US Adult Contemporary and Top 10 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruf Records</span> German record label

Ruf Records is a German independent record label, which was founded in 1994 by Luther Allison’s manager, Thomas Ruf, to promote Allison's career. The motto of the blues label is "Where Blues Crosses Over". The company's office is located in Lindewerra, Germany. As of 2008, Ruf had produced 120 releases, sold over one million albums, received two Grammy nominations and ten Blues Music Award nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sue Foley</span> Musical artist

Sue Foley is a Canadian blues guitarist and singer. She has released 15 albums since her debut with Young Girl Blues (1992). In May 2020, Foley won her first Blues Music Award, in the 'Koko Taylor Award ' category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joanna Connor</span> American singer-songwriter

Joanna Connor is an American Chicago-based blues singer, songwriter and guitarist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Bonamassa</span> American musician (born 1977)

Joseph Leonard Bonamassa is an American blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. He started his career at age twelve, when he opened for B.B. King. Since 2000, Bonamassa has released fifteen solo albums through his independent record label J&R Adventures, of which eleven have reached No. 1 on the Billboard Blues chart.

"I'd Rather Go Blind" is a blues song written by Ellington Jordan with co-writing credits to Billy Foster and Etta James. It was first recorded by Etta James in 1967, released the same year, and has subsequently become regarded as a blues and soul classic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malina Moye</span> American singer-songwriter

Malina Moye is an American singer-songwriter, lefty guitarist, model, actress, entrepreneur, and pioneer who fuses pop, rock, and soul. Fender guitars recognizes Moye as one of their first African-American left-handed upside-down female endorsee to join the Fender family. The genre-defying artist founded WCE Records in 2004. Moye's fourth album Dirty was released worldwide on March 17, 2023, to critical acclaim landing on top of the Billboard Blues chart marking Moye's third appearance on the chart. Dirty was also voted into the top five of Guitar World Magazine's Best Guitar Albums of 2023 list. Malina's third studio album Bad as I Wanna Be was released March 23, 2018, reaching number one for two weeks straight on the Billboard Blues chart and landed on Billboard's Heatseakers Album Chart at number 19. Parade Magazine declared "Moye has proven herself once again as an über talented, electric guitar powerhouse." The song "Enough" premiered on Minnesota's KCMP The Current 89.3, an NPR station, and is also featured in the film The Samuel Project. Rolling Stone France gave the album four stars stating that "Moye perfectly blends, Blues, Funk, Rock and Pop."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloodline (band)</span> American blues-rock band, 1991–1996

Bloodline was an American blues-rock band from New York City, New York. Formed in 1991, the group originally featured vocalist Aaron Hagar, lead guitarist "Smokin' Joe" Bonamassa, rhythm guitarist Waylon Krieger, bassist Berry Oakley Jr., drummer Erin Davis and keyboardist Lou Segreti. After Hagar was fired due to creative differences, Oakley took over as lead vocalist and the group began recording demos for a planned studio album with producer Phil Ramone. Bloodline later signed with EMI Records and released their self-titled debut album in 1994, which was produced by Joe Hardy. The band broke up shortly after the album's touring cycle.

<i>Diamonds in the Dirt</i> 2010 studio album by Joanne Shaw Taylor

Diamonds in the Dirt is the second album by British blues artist Joanne Shaw Taylor. It was released in 2010 on Ruf Records.

<i>Blues Deluxe</i> 2003 studio album by Joe Bonamassa

Blues Deluxe is the third studio album by American blues-rock musician Joe Bonamassa. Recorded at Unique Recording Studios in New York City, New York, it was produced by Bob Held and features nine cover versions of songs by classic blues artists and three original tracks. The album was released on August 26, 2003, by Medalist Entertainment and reached number 8 on the US Billboard Top Blues Albums chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Bonamassa discography</span>

The discography of Joe Bonamassa, an American blues rock musician, consists of 16 studio albums, 18 live albums, three collaboration albums, 30 singles, 15 video albums, 13 music videos and 54 other appearances. After growing up in Utica, New York, Bonamassa began his career as a member of the band Bloodline, before beginning his solo career in 2000 with the release of A New Day Yesterday. The album reached number 9 on the US Billboard Blues Albums chart. The guitarist continued to see success in the blues genre, topping the chart with 2002's So, It's Like That and 2006's You & Me, before making his debut on the Billboard 200 in 2007 with Sloe Gin, which reached number 184. Bonamassa's albums have continued to increase in chart success over the years, with The Ballad of John Henry reaching number 103 on the Billboard 200, Black Rock, Dust Bowl and Driving Towards the Daylight reaching the Top 40, and Different Shades of Blue and Blues of Desperation reaching the Top 20. Several of the musician's video albums have also topped the Billboard Music Video Sales chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Zito</span> Musical artist

Mike Zito is an American guitarist, singer, record producer, and songwriter from St. Louis, Missouri, United States. He is a co-founder of Royal Southern Brotherhood that features Cyril Neville, Devon Allman, Charlie Wooton and Yonrico Scott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erja Lyytinen</span> Finnish musician and songwriter

Erja Lyytinen is a Finnish vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dani Wilde</span> British singer-songwriter and guitarist

Dani Wilde is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist who fuses roots genres including blues, country, gospel, soul and Americana into popular song.

Mascot Label Group is an independently-owned record label. Founded in 1989 in The Netherlands under the name Mascot Records, the company was renamed Mascot-Provogue in 1999 and since 2010 has been known as the Mascot Label Group. The company is based in the Netherlands and has offices in New York, Cologne, Stockholm, Milan, Paris and London. It was distributed by ADA and Warner Music Group until 2022; it is now serviced by FUGA. Mascot Label Group is the parent company of six record labels: Mascot Records, Provogue Records, Music Theories Recordings, Cool Green Recordings, The Funk Garage, and The Players Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samantha Fish</span> American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter

Samantha Fish is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter from Kansas City, Missouri. While often cited as a blues artist, Fish's work features and draws from multiple genres, including rock, country, funk, bluegrass, and ballads.

<i>Songs from the Road</i> (Joanne Shaw Taylor album) 2013 studio album by Joanne Shaw Taylor

Songs from the Road is a live album by British blues rock artist Joanne Shaw Taylor, covering her first three studio albums. It was released on 12 May 2013 on Ruf Records. Included with the CD is a DVD recorded live at London’s Borderline club.

The British Blues Awards were inaugurated in 2010. The prize was awarded in various categories, such as 'Male vocals', 'Female vocals', 'Guitarist', 'Bass player' and 'Keyboard player', 'Blues band', 'Young artist', 'Blues album', 'Blues festival' and 'Lifetime achievement'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Chavez</span> American songwriter

Laura Catherine Chavez is an American blues, soul, and rhythm and blues guitarist, songwriter and record producer. She has worked with many other musicians, including Deborah Coleman, Candye Kane, Dani Wilde, The Mannish Boys, Mike Ledbetter, Monster Mike Welch, Vanessa Collier, Casey Hensley and Whitney Shay. Her playing style is based in the Texas and Chicago blues traditions, both classic and modern genres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eliana Cargnelutti</span> Musical artist

Eliana Cargnelutti is an Italian blues rock singer, guitarist and songwriter. Cargnelutti has collaborated with various blues musicians including Scott Henderson, Ana Popovìc and Enrico Crivellaro. She has released four albums since 2013.

References

  1. ↑ "Facebook - Joanne Shaw Taylor". Facebook.com. 5 June 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Joanne Shaw Taylor @ The Robin, 17 May 2011". Brumlive.com. 17 May 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Biography by Richard Skelly". AllMusic . Archived from the original on 11 January 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  4. 1 2 Grahame Rhodes. "White Sugar review". Bluesinthenorthwest.com. Archived from the original on 23 January 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  5. ↑ "Joanne Shaw Taylor's 'Reckless Heart' impressive, energetic - Tahoe Onstage | Lake Tahoe music concerts and sports". 20 May 2019.
  6. 1 2 "British Blues Awards 2011". Britishbluesawards.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  7. ↑ Richard Skelly. "Joanne Shaw Taylor | Awards". AllMusic . Archived from the original on 11 January 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  8. ↑ "The Queens Diamond Jubilee Concert – Annie Lennox". 4 June 2012. Archived from the original on 2 July 2012. Retrieved 9 June 2012– via YouTube.
  9. ↑ "BBC News – Stars perform at Diamond Jubilee concert". Bbc.co.uk. 4 June 2012. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
  10. ↑ The Blues magazine, Issue 4, page 50
  11. ↑ "Dirty Truth – Joanne Shaw Taylor – Releases". AllMusic . Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  12. ↑ "Joanne Shaw Taylor reveals further details of her 5th album Wild". 18 May 2016. Archived from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  13. ↑ "JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  14. ↑ "Joanne Shaw Taylor signs album deal with Sony/Silvertone". Recordoftheday.com. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  15. ↑ Stanley, Rebecca (22 November 2017). "Black Country blues artist Joanne Shaw Taylor to support Foreigner on UK tour – including Birmingham show". Expressandstar.com. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  16. ↑ "PRESALE: Joanne Shaw Taylor announces intimate October tour & confirms sixth studio album". Planet Rock. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  17. ↑ "Joanne Shaw Taylor - Reckless Heart". TM Store. Archived from the original on 9 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  18. ↑ Whitmore, Laura B. (7 May 2019). "British Guitarist Joanne Shaw Taylor Bares It All on Reckless Heart". Parade. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  19. ↑ "Joanne Shaw Taylor releases new single If That Ain't A Reason produced by Joe Bonamassa — Decibel Report" (Press release). 9 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021– via Decibel Report.
  20. ↑ "Blues Albums". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  21. ↑ "If That Ain't a Reason". Top-charts.com. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  22. ↑ Ehrenclou, Martine (27 September 2021). "Review: Joanne Shaw Taylor 'The Blues Album'". Rockandbluesmuse.com. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  23. ↑ "Joanne Shaw Taylor – Blues From The Heart Live". Blues Magazine. 21 April 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  24. ↑ "Joanne Shaw Taylor Releases New Video 'Can't You See What You're Doing To Me" (Live) Feat. Kenny Wayne Shepherd". Rock and Blues Muse. 19 May 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  25. ↑ "Joanne Shaw Taylor: Blues From The Heart Live". All About Jazz. 11 June 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  26. ↑ Joanne Shaw Taylor on SRV, Pedals, and the Guitar She Got From Joe Bonamassa. Reverb.com (Video narrative). 30 April 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  27. 1 2 3 "Rig Rundown - Joanne Shaw Taylor" . Retrieved 19 January 2021– via YouTube.
  28. ↑ "Joanne Shaw Taylor | Discography". AllMusic . Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.