"There are few artists with more claim to being a 'musician's musician' than Wizz Jones. Inspired by Big Bill Broonzy, Rambling Jack Elliot, Alexis Korner and Ewan MacColl, he learned his guitar licks from the likes of Davy Graham and Long John Baldry whilst playing in the coffee bars of London's Soho during the late nineteen fifties.
He followed the time-honoured buskers' trail from the streets of Paris to the markets of Marrakech during the early sixties and returned to Britain with a unique acoustic guitar style, an eclectic repertoire and 'a right hand worthy of Broonzy'!
John Renbourn, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards have all named him as an important early influence and after more than fifty years 'on the road' Wizz continues to tour on the acoustic folk and blues circuit, usually solo but sometimes together with son Simeon on Sax, Flute and Harmonica."
Wizz began his musical career at the age of 18 leading a Country and Skiffle band called "The Wranglers" in his home town of Croydon, Surrey in 1957. He had been inspired to take up the acoustic guitar a year or so before this after hearing such guitar luminaries as Big Bill Broonzy, Rambling Jack Elliot and Muddy Waters playing at a club in London organized by Cyril Davies and Alexis Korner (The Roundhouse in Wardour Street). Having learned most of his blues licks from Long John Baldry and Davy Graham whilst playing in the coffee bars of Soho, Wizz followed the time honoured trail - busking throughout Europe with many different musicians including at one time a budding young blues-man named Rod Stewart.
On returning to Britain in the early sixties, Wizz formed a blue-grass duo with banjo-picker Pete Stanley, a partnership which was to last for four years during which time Wizz and Pete recorded a single and LP Album for EMI. (Now available on CD with previously un-released bonus tracks on the Rollercoaster label).
Wizz and Pete went their separate ways at the end of 1967 and Wizz returned to solo work collaborating with songwriter Alan Tunbridge (an artist friend from the Soho days) and occasionally with guitarist Peter Berryman. He enjoyed considerable success throughout the 70's In Europe and Scandinavia both as a touring soloist and together with his wife Sandy in the group "Lazy Farmer" (the group's album due to be released on CD autumn 2005).
However back in England and several albums later - in spite of being often mentioned as an important early influence by artists such as Eric Clapton, John Renbourn and Ralph McTell, Wizz retained a certain "musician's musician" reputation, only occasionally playing club gigs and the odd festival spot sometimes with son Simeon on Sax, Harmonica and Flute. (As Billy Connolly says in the "Acoustic Routes" TV Documentary on Bert Jansch - "My friend Wizz has had a somewhat wispy career - now you see him now you don't!")
It was possibly as a result of Wizz's appearance in this film and the re-issue of some of his long lost classics during the 90's that Wizz began to enjoy a bit of a come-back!
More recordings followed notably on the U.S. based Scenescof label which led to Wizz's first trip to America (see review "Wizz Jones - 1st show in U.S.) and later on an appearance in the documentary film "The Ballad Of Rambling Jack Elliot" and even a gig in New York with Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth!)
Wizz celebrated his 65th birthday on April 23rd 2004 in London, together with Simeon and guest musicians at The Half Moon Putney and 2006 sees the release of a new DVD featuring Wizz and Simeon playing and talking to Martin Carthy.
With his unique guitar style, an eclectic repertoire and "a right hand worthy of Broonzy" Wizz continues to tour on the acoustic folk and blues circuit.
He followed the time-honoured buskers' trail from the streets of Paris to the markets of Marrakech during the early sixties and returned to Britain with a unique acoustic guitar style, an eclectic repertoire and 'a right hand worthy of Broonzy'!
John Renbourn, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards have all named him as an important early influence and after more than fifty years 'on the road' Wizz continues to tour on the acoustic folk and blues circuit, usually solo but sometimes together with son Simeon on Sax, Flute and Harmonica."
Wizz began his musical career at the age of 18 leading a Country and Skiffle band called "The Wranglers" in his home town of Croydon, Surrey in 1957. He had been inspired to take up the acoustic guitar a year or so before this after hearing such guitar luminaries as Big Bill Broonzy, Rambling Jack Elliot and Muddy Waters playing at a club in London organized by Cyril Davies and Alexis Korner (The Roundhouse in Wardour Street). Having learned most of his blues licks from Long John Baldry and Davy Graham whilst playing in the coffee bars of Soho, Wizz followed the time honoured trail - busking throughout Europe with many different musicians including at one time a budding young blues-man named Rod Stewart.
On returning to Britain in the early sixties, Wizz formed a blue-grass duo with banjo-picker Pete Stanley, a partnership which was to last for four years during which time Wizz and Pete recorded a single and LP Album for EMI. (Now available on CD with previously un-released bonus tracks on the Rollercoaster label).
Wizz and Pete went their separate ways at the end of 1967 and Wizz returned to solo work collaborating with songwriter Alan Tunbridge (an artist friend from the Soho days) and occasionally with guitarist Peter Berryman. He enjoyed considerable success throughout the 70's In Europe and Scandinavia both as a touring soloist and together with his wife Sandy in the group "Lazy Farmer" (the group's album due to be released on CD autumn 2005).
However back in England and several albums later - in spite of being often mentioned as an important early influence by artists such as Eric Clapton, John Renbourn and Ralph McTell, Wizz retained a certain "musician's musician" reputation, only occasionally playing club gigs and the odd festival spot sometimes with son Simeon on Sax, Harmonica and Flute. (As Billy Connolly says in the "Acoustic Routes" TV Documentary on Bert Jansch - "My friend Wizz has had a somewhat wispy career - now you see him now you don't!")
It was possibly as a result of Wizz's appearance in this film and the re-issue of some of his long lost classics during the 90's that Wizz began to enjoy a bit of a come-back!
More recordings followed notably on the U.S. based Scenescof label which led to Wizz's first trip to America (see review "Wizz Jones - 1st show in U.S.) and later on an appearance in the documentary film "The Ballad Of Rambling Jack Elliot" and even a gig in New York with Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth!)
Wizz celebrated his 65th birthday on April 23rd 2004 in London, together with Simeon and guest musicians at The Half Moon Putney and 2006 sees the release of a new DVD featuring Wizz and Simeon playing and talking to Martin Carthy.
With his unique guitar style, an eclectic repertoire and "a right hand worthy of Broonzy" Wizz continues to tour on the acoustic folk and blues circuit.
Rachel Harrington is een betrekkelijke nieuwkomer in de Amerikaanse roots-music die haar inspiratie haalt uit de old-time folk van de Appalachen, de country van Loretta Lynn en de soul van Ray Charles. Ze bracht in 2007 haar debuut "The Bootlegger’s Daughter" uit en in 2008 "City Of Refuge" welke beide door de vakpers uitstekend werden ontvangen. De reden dat deze plattelandsdame uit Oregon door de akoestische Americana-liefhebbers met open armen wordt ontvangen zit in eerste plaats in de aantrekkingskracht van haar prachtige stem. Daarnaast geven de literaire getinte songteksten de gewenste diepgang aan de verhalende songs welke de nostalgische sfeer ademen van een westernfilm in zwart-wit. Muzikaal gezien bewegen haar songs zich op de nauwe grens van folk, bluegrass en country waarbij ze tekstueel duidelijk in de ban is van goudzoekers, katoenvelden en de mystiek van het Wilde Westen. Omdat het met de karakters in haar zelfgeschreven songs niet altijd goed gaat krijgt de muziek een licht bluesy en melancholische ondertoon.
Reared among the Pentecostal pines of Oregon, Rachel Harrington has been doing things in the wrong order for quite some time. She'd had extensive radio play before performing her live show, and she was opening for Grammy winners and nominees before releasing her first record. From families of Danish dairymen and Irish lumberjack, as a child her only exposure to music was gospel - that and her father's
secret Stax/Motown collection he'd amassed since his return from Vietnam. She especially loved the black gospel groups, the secular Otis Redding and Sam Cooke.
"I remember being a little girl, like 8 and 9, and my folks would leave to go to church often in the evenings and I'd beg to stay behind at home - when they left I'd turn out all the lights and put on the Otis Redding records and stand in front of the big window in the living room, singing into this broken little microphone I'd gotten somewhere."
At the age of 12, after a stay with an aunt and uncle in Montana, she fell in love with horses and began to ride and participate in rodeo events. Out on the ranch one day, she met an old cowboy named Dutch who spent many hours giving the novice rider lessons - during which he listened to his favorite radio station: "stone country." This provided critical exposure to the likes of Hank Williams Sr., Loretta Lynn, and George Jones.
"Hearing Loretta Lynn changed my life. Finally, I had someone I could actually sing like. And it was then I also realized the connection between country and soul. First time I heard Hank Williams I knew he was coming from the same place as Ray Charles - I could just hear it."
As a fourth generation Oregonian, from great-grandparents who moved westward from Texas, Harrington feels a strong connection to place and to creating music that, at least in part, captures some of the stories and heritage of The West. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Pacific Northwest Bioregional Studies from Fairhaven College at WWU in Bellingham, Washington and completed Master's work in Environmental Conflict Resolution at NAU in Flagstaff, Arizona. During her college years, Rachel also studied creative writing with critically acclaimed author Ann Cummins and began to write short stories. "If anything, I think I'm actually a short story writer. The story always comes first."
Reared among the Pentecostal pines of Oregon, Rachel Harrington has been doing things in the wrong order for quite some time. She'd had extensive radio play before performing her live show, and she was opening for Grammy winners and nominees before releasing her first record. From families of Danish dairymen and Irish lumberjack, as a child her only exposure to music was gospel - that and her father's
secret Stax/Motown collection he'd amassed since his return from Vietnam. She especially loved the black gospel groups, the secular Otis Redding and Sam Cooke.
"I remember being a little girl, like 8 and 9, and my folks would leave to go to church often in the evenings and I'd beg to stay behind at home - when they left I'd turn out all the lights and put on the Otis Redding records and stand in front of the big window in the living room, singing into this broken little microphone I'd gotten somewhere."
At the age of 12, after a stay with an aunt and uncle in Montana, she fell in love with horses and began to ride and participate in rodeo events. Out on the ranch one day, she met an old cowboy named Dutch who spent many hours giving the novice rider lessons - during which he listened to his favorite radio station: "stone country." This provided critical exposure to the likes of Hank Williams Sr., Loretta Lynn, and George Jones.
"Hearing Loretta Lynn changed my life. Finally, I had someone I could actually sing like. And it was then I also realized the connection between country and soul. First time I heard Hank Williams I knew he was coming from the same place as Ray Charles - I could just hear it."
As a fourth generation Oregonian, from great-grandparents who moved westward from Texas, Harrington feels a strong connection to place and to creating music that, at least in part, captures some of the stories and heritage of The West. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Pacific Northwest Bioregional Studies from Fairhaven College at WWU in Bellingham, Washington and completed Master's work in Environmental Conflict Resolution at NAU in Flagstaff, Arizona. During her college years, Rachel also studied creative writing with critically acclaimed author Ann Cummins and began to write short stories. "If anything, I think I'm actually a short story writer. The story always comes first."
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