John Lilley

Last updated

John Lilley
2022 Lieder am See - The Hooters - John Lilley - by 2eight - 9SC5428.jpg
Lilley performing with the Hooters in 2022
Background information
Born (1954-03-03) March 3, 1954 (age 70)
West Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genres Rock
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s) Guitar, vocals, mandolin, dobro, keyboards, melodica
Years active1978–present
Website www.johnlilley.com

John Lilley (born March 3, 1954) [1] is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter best known for being a member of rock band the Hooters. [2] [3]

Contents

Early life

John Lilley learned to play the guitar at nine years old after he saw the Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964. He initially learned to play jazz and folk music, with his first teacher being folk and bluegrass expert Jerry Ricks. He eventually studied jazz improvisation with Dennis Sandole and then jazz, theory, orchestration, composition and arranging with Calvin Harris. Lilley also participated in visual arts, drawing voraciously while in school and mostly painting as an adult.[ citation needed ]

Music career

In his twenties during the mid-1970s, Lilley got involved in the local Philadelphia rock music scene, as the manager and guitarist of the Get Right Band and later became the guitarist for Robert Hazard and the Heroes, who went on to write Cyndi Lauper's hit "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun".[ citation needed ]

The Hooters

After a sudden and unexpected departure from the Heroes, Lilley joined another local Philadelphia band, the Hooters, in 1983. [4] He is a guitarist for the band. [5] [6] [7]

The Hooters first gained major commercial success in the United States in the mid-1980s due to heavy radio airplay and MTV rotation of several songs, including "All You Zombies", "Day by Day", "And We Danced" and "Where Do the Children Go". [8] The band played at three major musical events of the late 20th century: Live Aid in Philadelphia in 1985, Amnesty International concert at Giants Stadium in 1986, and Roger Waters' The Wall Concert in Berlin in 1990. [9]

Lilley performing with the Hooters in 2007 JohnLilley.jpg
Lilley performing with the Hooters in 2007

The Hooters went on hiatus in 1995. [10] Lilley reunited with the Hooters on successful headlining European summer tours in 2003, 2004 and 2005. The year 2007 saw the release of Time Stand Still , their first album of new material since 1993. [11] The Hooters released Rocking and Swing in 2023, supported by a tour of the United States with Rick Springfield. [12]

Other musical projects

In addition to his work with the Hooters, Lilley has composed and performed several theatre and dance scores. [13]

Lilley contributed music to Sister Carrie, a play that was adapted by Louis Lippa from Theodore Dreiser's 1900 novel of the same name and performed at the People's Light and Theatre Company in Malvern in 1991. Lilley also contributed to Collecting Gravity, which was performed in 1992 by the Terry Beck Dance Troupe at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. [5]

Lilley has played with a band known as the John Lilley Band. [14]

His solo debut CD Lucky Kinda Guy, which has been described as "a country-tinged, roots-rock journey into Lilley's mind, his life and, most importantly, into his heart", was released in 2009. [14]

Avantgardeners

Lilley founded a landscape gardening company in the Philadelphia area, Avantgardeners. [2]

Personal life

Lilley is openly gay. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo Springfield</span> Canadian-American folk rock band

Buffalo Springfield was a rock band formed in Los Angeles by Canadian musicians Neil Young, Bruce Palmer and Dewey Martin and American musicians Stephen Stills and Richie Furay. The group, widely known for the song "For What It's Worth", released three albums and several singles from 1966 to 1968. Their music combined elements of folk music and country music with influences from the British Invasion and psychedelic rock. Like contemporary band the Byrds, they were key to the early development of folk rock. The band took their name from a steamroller parked outside their house.

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

The Hooters are an American rock band, which was founded in Philadelphia in 1980. They combine elements of rock, reggae, ska, and folk music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sister Rosetta Tharpe</span> American gospel musician (1915–1973)

Sister Rosetta Tharpe was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. She gained popularity in the 1930s and 1940s with her gospel recordings, characterized by a unique mixture of spiritual lyrics and electric guitar. She was the first great recording star of gospel music, and was among the first gospel musicians to appeal to rhythm and blues and rock and roll audiences, later being referred to as "the original soul sister" and "the Godmother of rock and roll". She influenced early rock-and-roll musicians including Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and also later guitarists, such as Eric Clapton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vernon Reid</span> British-American guitarist and songwriter

Vernon Alphonsus Reid is a British-born American guitarist and songwriter best known as the founder of the rock band Living Colour. Reid was named No. 66 on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, and in August 2023, was ranked #42 in Rolling Stone Magazine top 250 Greatest Guitarists of all time. Critic Steve Huey writes, "[Reid's] rampant eclecticism encompasses everything from heavy metal and punk to funk, R&B and avant-garde jazz, and his anarchic, lightning-fast solos have become something of a hallmark as well."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan East</span> American bass player and vocalist

Nathan Harrell East is an American jazz, R&B, and rock bass guitarist and vocalist. With more than 2,000 recordings, East is one of the most recorded bass players in the history of music. East holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from the University of California, San Diego (1978). He is a founding member of contemporary jazz quartet Fourplay and has recorded, performed, and co-written songs with performers such as Bobby Womack, Eric Clapton, Michael Jackson, Joe Satriani, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Phil Collins, Stevie Wonder, Toto, Kenny Loggins, Daft Punk, Chick Corea, and Herbie Hancock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Bazilian</span> American musician

Eric M. Bazilian is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. Bazilian is a founding member of the rock band The Hooters. He wrote "One of Us", a song first recorded by Joan Osborne in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Bromberg</span> American singer-songwriter

David Bromberg is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. An eclectic artist, Bromberg plays bluegrass, blues, folk, jazz, country and western, and rock and roll. He is known for his quirky, humorous lyrics, and the ability to play rhythm and lead guitar at the same time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Musikfest</span> Annual American music festival

Musikfest is an American music festival that has been held annually since 1984 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. It is the nation's largest non-gated free music festival. The festival begins on the first Friday in August, though it has been preceded since 2015 with a Thursday preview night involving the premium stage and adjacent areas. The festival ends the second Sunday thereafter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Hyman</span> American singer-songwriter

Robert Andrew Hyman is an American singer, songwriter, keyboard and accordion player, producer, and arranger, best known for being a founding member of the rock band The Hooters.

<i>Nervous Night</i> 1986 film by John Jopson

Nervous Night is a 1986 film starring American rock band The Hooters and directed by John Charles Jopson.

<i>Time Stand Still</i> 2007 studio album by the Hooters

Time Stand Still is the sixth studio album by American rock band the Hooters, released in Europe on September 14, 2007, and released in the US on February 5, 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Uosikkinen</span> American drummer

David Uosikkinen is an American drummer and Internet content manager, best known for being a member of rock band The Hooters.

<i>Nervous Night</i> (album) 1985 studio album by The Hooters

Nervous Night is the second studio album by American rock band The Hooters, released in May 1985 by Columbia Records and on CBS Records in Europe. The album features two of the band's biggest and best-known hits, "And We Danced" and "Day by Day". It also includes the minor hit "All You Zombies", which was a rerecorded version of a single that had first been released in 1982.

<i>Amore</i> (The Hooters album) 1983 studio album by the Hooters

Amore is the debut studio album by American rock band the Hooters, released in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dewey Martin (musician)</span> American drummer (1940–2009)

Dewey Martin was a Canadian rock drummer, best known for his work with Buffalo Springfield, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

The Soul to Soul Tour was a concert tour through North America, Europe and Australasia, undertaken by American blues rock band Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble from 1985 through 1986. At the beginning of the tour, the band had finished recording their album Soul to Soul. Their commercial and critical acclaim had been demonstrated during the Couldn't Stand the Weather Tour in 1984, when they had played before a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall. Longing for opportunities to expand the group's lineup, Vaughan and Double Trouble hired keyboardist Reese Wynans during the Soul to Soul recording sessions in Dallas, Texas. Throughout the tour, the band's success was confirmed as their performances consistently amazed and gratified their audiences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Freeman (guitarist)</span> American jazz guitarist from Chicago

George Freeman is an American jazz guitarist and recording artist. He is known for his sophisticated technique, collaborations with high-profile performers, and notable presence in the jazz scene of Chicago, Illinois. He is the younger brother of tenor saxophonist Von Freeman and drummer Eldridge "Bruz" Freeman, and the uncle of tenor saxophonist and trumpeter Chico Freeman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lotus (American band)</span> American instrumental electronic jam band

Lotus is an instrumental electronic jam band formed in Goshen, Indiana in 1998 now based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Denver, Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Neel</span> Musical artist

Johnny Neel is an American vocalist, songwriter, and musician based in Nashville, Tennessee. He is best known for his songwriting, stage, and being a member of the Allman Brothers Band and the Dickey Betts Band.

"And We Danced" is a song by the American rock band the Hooters, released as a single in 1985. The song appeared on the band's second album, Nervous Night. It peaked at #21 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached #3 on the Mainstream Rock chart. "And We Danced" became the band's second consecutive Top 10 hit in Australia, reaching #6.

References

  1. "Celebrity birthdays for the week of Feb. 26-March 4". San Diego Union Tribune. Associated Press. February 21, 2023. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Amorosi, A.D. (November 23, 2010). "The Hooters mark 30 years with an Electric Factory concert". inquirer.com.
  3. Webb, Todd (January 19, 1986). "Philadelphia Rock 'n' Roll Band Gives a Hoot". The Oklahoman. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  4. Walker, Charlie (August 5, 1983). "The Latin beat on Market Street". The Morning News . Wilmington, Delaware. p. 46. Retrieved June 24, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 Dyroff, Denny (February 2, 2023). "On Stage: Uptown! offers looks at MLK, Rustin to celebrate Black History". www.unionvilletimes.com.
  6. "Hooters Guitarist John Lilley in Studio". wmgk.com. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  7. Nichols, Larry (October 1, 2009). "Guitarist gets 'lucky' on solo album". Philadelphia Gay News.
  8. Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 620. ISBN   1-85227-745-9.
  9. Gray, Andy (August 6, 2023). "Springfield, Hooters bring nostalgia to amp". The Vindicator. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  10. Nagy, Rob (November 24, 2010). "The Hooters celebrate their 30th anniversary". The Mercury. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  11. Bothum, Peter (November 23, 2007). "The Hooters: No skimpy outfits, just righteous tunes". The News Journal . Wilmington, Delaware. p. 82. Retrieved June 24, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  12. DeLuca, Dan (May 12, 2023). "The Hooters' new album is the Philly band's first in 16 years. They're celebrating with three shows in Ardmore". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  13. Rettew, Bill (February 4, 2023). "A fictional Uptown play depicts MLK's last day on Earth". Daily Local News. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  14. 1 2 Ostroff, Craig (September 29, 2009). "'Lucky Kinda Guy' John Lilley finally finds his voice". thereporteronline.com.
  15. O'Bryan, Will (March 26, 2008). "Hooters Hoedown". Metro Weekly.