Birmingham, UK-based Joanne Shaw Taylor was discovered at the age 16 by Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics, who remarked on hearing her for the first time: “I have played with all sorts of blues musicians all over the world and last year I heard something I thought I would never hear – a British white girl playing blues guitar so deep and passionately it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end!” Stewart was so impressed he asked Taylor to join his supergroup, D.U.P., to tour Europe in 2002.
Now 23 years old, Taylor has continued to refine her skills as both a singer and guitar player, and the proof of the pudding is in her dynamic new CD, which combines the power of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix with the down-home blues of the Mississippi Delta. The 10 tracks on White Sugar clearly show an artist in total command of her instrument as a force to color both the bold and quiet moments of the songs.
“Working with these guys was totally easy,” says Taylor about the sessions. “I knew of them because of their work on the Luther Allison and Jonny Lang albums. They didn’t even know the songs until shortly before we started tracking and it was fantastic. They are amazing guys to work with.”
Already a rising star in Great Britain, Joanne Shaw Taylor has been singled out for massive praise from the media. “Joanne IS the new face of the blues,” proclaimed respected UK magazine Blues Matters. “She plays with more attitude and flare than most; massive potential here – inspiring,” said Guitarist magazine. And Blue Print Magazine summed it up by stating, “Catch her live if you can; then you can say: ‘I was there at the beginning’!”
While still a young schoolgirl, Taylor was captivated by the rough side of the blues as evidenced from artists such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert Collins and Jimi Hendrix. “As soon as I heard SRV and Albert Collins, I knew pretty much that I wanted to do that full stop,” Taylor says. “That was the lifestyle route that I was going to go down. It was never a hobby. I was always very serious and dedicated to it.”
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