Blues Guitarists TOP 10

7... Johnny Whitehill

FINEST
MOMENT?
Paul Lamb and the
Kingsnakes’ Live At The

M
aybe it’s something 100 Club is quite a
in the water, but blast. The band have
Newcastle blues is as that same hard-edged
hard as nails and twice as tough rawness that defined
– and Johnny Whitehill is a case the early Fabulous
in point. Although voted Best Thunderbirds, but it’s
British Blues Guitarist three years tinged with that
Photo: Geoff Marston/Stanley Blues Festival

running in the annual British unique British blues

Blues Connection Awards, it’s a
mystery why Johnny still remains
one of the great unsung guitar
heroes of British blues scene.
Whitehill left the Tyne behind
back in the mid ’80s, moving
south to London to find fame, if
not fortune, with harmonica
virtuoso Paul Lamb. With the
formation of the Kingsnakes
Johnny quickly became Paul’s
right-hand man, ripping off
stunning energetic solos that
belied his quiet onstage
persona – and invariably stole the
show. A master of the slow blues,
Johnny’s always had the rare ability to
take things down to the merest
whisper before cranking things up
sensibility. Listen to
Johnny’s own album
Guitar Slinger, though,
to really hear the man
in overdrive
Gear
Johnny’s guitars were
stolen so often that
he took to playing
Epiphone Les Pauls
and assorted Fender
into a blistering flurries of notes and touring schedule to head back to copies. However, he
single-string runs up and down the Newcastle. He’s currently forming a now plays a proper
frets; the mark of a true master. new band; one which he says will play US Fender Strat
A few years back Johnny left the everything from southern soul to through a Dean
Kingsnakes and their relentless Texas blues. Watch this space. Markley combo

6... Davy Graham FINEST

MOMENT?
There can of course be
only one; almost half a

W
hen Davy Graham’s century on, Folk, Blues
acoustic masterpiece Folk, And Beyond has not
Blues And Beyond was lost its capacity to
released in 1963, it hit the semi- amaze. It’s a righteous
comatose English folk scene like a mix of eclectic
whirlwind. From the raga-like intro of influences that were
his take on Leadbelly’s Leaving Blues mindboggling at the
he came on like an acoustic Hendrix, time and still have the
spitting out new ideas and licks. And capacity to astound
yet, despite the incredible breadth of the listener
his influences – everything from
Appalachian banjo tunes to jazz to
the sounds of the Tangiers souk – at
heart Davy Graham was always first Gear
and foremost a bluesman. A close Back then he mostly
friend of Alexis Korner, he jammed played a Gibson J-50
with John Mayall and the with a DeArmond
Bluesbreakers but never felt happy in pickup, but recent
a band context. Over the years he’s sightings have seen
become an icon of the British folk him playing a Fylde
scene, and there are as many myths and various nylon-
about the man as there are about strung Spanish guitars
Robert Johnson. But if Davy Graham
had done nothing more than invent
DADGAD tuning, this sonic
sorcerer’s place in musical history
would still be assured.

38 March 07 - Guitar & Bass