Doyle Bramhall II

Doyle Bramhall II (born December 24, 1968)[2] is an American musician, producer, guitarist, and songwriter known for his work with Eric Clapton, Roger Waters, and many others. He is the son of the songwriter and drummer Doyle Bramhall.

Not to be confused with Doyle Bramhall.

Doyle Bramhall II
Background information
Born (1968-12-24) December 24, 1968
Dallas, Texas[1]
Genres
Occupation(s)
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • bass guitar
  • drums
Years active1984–present
Labels
Associated acts
Websitedb2music.com

Early life

Bramhall was born in Texas and lived half of his life in Northern California. His father, Doyle Bramhall, Sr., played drums for the legendary bluesmen Lightnin' Hopkins and Freddie King and was a lifelong collaborator with his childhood friends Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmie Vaughan.

Music career

When Bramhall was 18, he toured with Jimmie Vaughan's band, the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Two years later he co-founded the blues rock band Arc Angels with fellow Austinite Charlie Sexton and members from Stevie Ray Vaughan's rhythm section, Chris Layton and Tommy Shannon. In 1996, he released his first solo album, Doyle Bramhall II. Following the 1999 release of Jellycream, Bramhall's second album and first for RCA, he received phone calls from both Roger Waters and Eric Clapton.[3] Bramhall joined Waters on his In the Flesh tour, playing guitar and providing background and lead vocals. His performances were recorded on the subsequent live album and DVD, In the Flesh – Live. Bramhall also played guitar on Clapton's Riding With the King, a collaboration with B.B. King. The album included versions of Clapton's and King's songs, and covers of blues songs—including two Bramhall-penned tracks originally from Jellycream.

In 2001, Bramhall released Welcome with his new band, Smokestack. The album's lead single, "Green Light Girl," was somewhat of a hit in the blues world.[4] In 2006, Bramhall and Smokestack released a live DVD entitled Live at the Great Wall of China.[5] Two audio tracks from the DVD were released on iTunes under the title of Doyle Bramhall II (Live at the Great Wall of China).[6]

In the following years, Bramhall collaborated with artists such as T Bone Burnett, Elton John, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Gary Clark Jr., Gregg Allman, Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, Billy Preston, Erykah Badu, Questlove and Meshell Ndegeocello. Bramhall has produced several records, including Sheryl Crow's 100 Miles from Memphis in 2011.[7] He also joined her on a tour for this album.[8]

In 2013, Bramhall completed co-production on Eric Clapton's 2013 release Old Sock, and played guitars on his 2014 release The Breeze: An Appreciation of JJ Cale. He joined Clapton on his 50th anniversary tour as an opening act and backing musician.[9] He appeared at Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival and was recorded for the subsequent live album and DVD.[10] Bramhall played lead guitars on Elton John's 2013 album The Diving Board.[11]

In 2015,[12] he played with the Tedeschi Trucks Band and Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings for the "Wheels of Soul" tour across the United States. He performed both as an opening act and as a rhythm guitarist in the Tedeschi Trucks Band, performing songs ranging from his days with the Arc Angels to unreleased songs.[13] Also in 2015, he performed a tribute concert to honor Joe Cocker along with the Tedeschi Trucks Band and alumni from the 1970 Joe Cocker Mad Dogs and Englishmen Tour, including Leon Russell, Rita Coolidge, Bobby Torres, Claudia Lennear, Chuck Blackwell, Pamela Polland, Daniel Moore, Matthew Moore, Chris Stainton, and photographer Linda Wolf.[14] He also performed at the Mahindra Blues Festival in India alongside Buddy Guy and Quinn Sullivan in 2015.[15][16]

On September 30, 2016, Bramhall released his 4th studio album titled Rich Man. The album consists of 12 originals and a cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Hear My Train A Comin'".[17]

In 2018, Bramhall signed with the Mascot Label Group, with a new album expected that fall.[18] The album, entitled "Shades", was planned to be released on October 5, 2018, following the lead single "Everything You Need", a duet with Eric Clapton. In addition to Clapton, the album featured collaborations with Norah Jones, Greyhounds, and Tedeschi Trucks Band.[19]

Style

Bramhall is one of the few guitarists who plays with his instrument strung upside-down.[20][21] He plays left-handed, but the instrument is strung upside-down with the high E on the top. This unusual arrangement of the strings gives his playing a unique sound, because he bends the strings by pulling them downwards rather than upwards, the customary approach. Others who have bent strings in this direction include Elizabeth Cotton, Albert King, Eric Gales, Otis Rush, Barbara Lynn, Coco Montoya, Edgard Scandurra, king of surf guitar Dick Dale, and the late blues guitarist Jeff Healey, who played with his instrument flat on his lap for stability and increased string flexibility.[22]

Discography

1988 - Stu Blank - Under The Big Top
1990 - Marc Benno - Take It Back To Texas
1992 - Arc Angels - Arc Angels
1993 - Toni Price - Swim Away
1994 - Doyle Bramhall - Bird Nest On The Ground
1994 - Marc Benno - Snake Charmer
1996 - Doyle Bramhall II - Doyle Bramhall II
1998 - N'Dea Davenport - N'Dea Davenport
1999 - Doyle Bramhall II - Jellycream
1999 - Richie Kotzen - Break It All Down
1999 - Marty Grebb - Smooth Sailin'
1999 - Meshell Ndegéocello - Bitter
2000 - B.B. King & Eric Clapton - Riding with the King
2000 - Roger Waters - In the Flesh – Live
2000 - Indigenous - Circle
2001 - Eric Clapton - Reptile
2001 - Double Trouble - Been A Long Time
2001 - Doyle Bramhall II - Welcome
2001 - Neil Finn - One Nil
2001 - Jennifer Warnes - The Well
2002 - Sheryl Crow - C'mon C'mon
2002 - Lisa Marie Presley - To Whom It May Concern
2003 - Boyd Tinsley - True Reflections
2003 - Meshell Ndegéocello - Comfort Woman
2003 - Doyle Bramhall - Fitchburg Street
2003 - Jack Casady - Dream Factor
2003 - B.B. King - Reflections
2003 - Chris Botti - A Thousand Kisses Deep
2004 - Eric Clapton - Me and Mr. Johnson
2004 - Eric Clapton - Sessions for Robert J
2004 - C.C. Adcock - Lafayette Marquis
2005 - Eric Clapton - Back Home
2005 - Bettye LaVette - I've Got My Own Hell to Raise
2005 - Susan Tedeschi - Hope and Desire
2005 - Various Artists - Our New Orleans: A Benefit Album for the Gulf Coast
2005 - Nerina Pallot - Fires
2005 - JJ Cale & Eric Clapton - The Road to Escondido
2006 - John Legend - Once Again
2007 - Doyle Bramhall - Is It News
2007 - Miles Davis - Evolution Of The Groove
2007 - Soundtrack - I'm Not There
2007 - Meshell Ndegéocello - The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams
2008 - Michael McDonald - Soul Speak
2008 - Amos Lee - Last Days at the Lodge
2008 - Susan Tedeschi - Back to the River
2008 - Rodney Crowell - Sex and Gasoline
2008 - Baby Animals - Il Grande Silenzio
2009 - Taylor Hicks - The Distance
2009 - The Derek Trucks Band - Already Free
2009 - Arc Angels - Living in a Dream
2010 - Robert Randolph and the Family Band - We Walk This Road
2010 - Eric Clapton - Clapton
2010 - Elton John/Leon Russell - The Union
2010 - Sheryl Crow - 100 Miles from Memphis
2011 - Gregg Allman - Low Country Blues
2011 - fDeluxe - Gaslight
2012 - Soundtrack - The Music Of Nashville: Season 1
2012 - Willie Nelson - Heroes
2013 - Tedeschi Trucks Band - Made Up Mind
2013 - Paul Allen & The Underthinkers - Everywhere At Once
2013 - Elton John - The Diving Board
2013 - Eric Clapton - Old Sock
2014 - Johnny Hallyday - Le Cœur D'Un Homme
2014 - Eric Clapton - The Breeze: An Appreciation of JJ Cale
2014 - Meshell Ndegéocello - Comet, Come to Me
2014 - Jerry Lee Lewis - Rock & Roll Time
2014 - Ruthie Foster - Promise Of A Brand New Day
2015 - James McMurtry - Complicated Game
2015 - Bettye LaVette - Worthy
2015 - David Ryan Harris - Lightyears
2015 - Paul Young - Tomb Of Memories (The CBS Years 1982-1994)
2015 - Buddy Guy - Born to Play Guitar
2016 - Tedeschi Trucks Band - Let Me Get By
2016 - Doyle Bramhall II - Rich Man
2016 - Eric Clapton - Live in San Diego
2016 - Eric Clapton - Crossroads Revisited: Selections from the Crossroads Guitar Festivals
2017 - Sheryl Crow - Be Myself
2017 - Grainne Duffy - Where I Belong
2018 - Meshell Ndegéocello - Ventriloquism
2018 - Boz Scaggs - Out Of The Blues
2018 - Ann Wilson - Immortal
2018 - Doyle Bramhall II - Shades
2019 - Gary Clark Jr. - This Land
2019 - Tedeschi Trucks Band - Signs
2019 - Reese Wynans - Sweet Release
2019 - Robbie Robertson - Sinematic

Personal life

From 2012 to 2019, Bramhall was in a relationship with American actress and fellow native Texan, Renée Zellweger.[23][24][25]

References
  1. Holly George-Warren; Patricia Romanowski; Patricia Romanowski Bashe; Jon Pareles, eds. (2001). The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. Fireside. Doyle Bramhall II.
  2. Holly George-Warren; Patricia Romanowski; Patricia Romanowski Bashe; Jon Pareles, eds. (2001). The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll. Fireside. p. 872.
  3. "Bramhall II, Doyle". Whereseric.com. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  4. "Doyle Bramhall II & Smokestack - Green Light Girl". Discogs. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  5. "Doyle Bramhall II Live at the Great Wall of China (2006)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  6. "iTunes - Music - Doyle Bramhall II (Live At the Great Wall of China) - Single by Doyle Bramhall II". Itunes.apple.com. 27 November 2007. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  7. "100 Miles from Memphis - Sheryl Crow | Credits". AllMusic. 20 July 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  8. "100 Miles from Memphis Touring Band". Sherylcrownews.com. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  9. "Eric Clapton Kicks Off 50th Anniversary Tour With Killer Setlist". Coolalbumreview.com. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  10. "Crossroads Guitar Festival 2013: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  11. "Elton John Finishes New Album, Eyes September Release Date". Billboard. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  12. "Wheels of Soul 2015 Tour". Tedeschi Trucks Band. 23 February 2015. Archived from the original on 2 May 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  13. "Doyle Bramhall II Album Statistics: Wheels Of Soul Summer Tour". www.setlist.fm. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  14. Browne, David (14 July 2015). "Inside Tedeschi Trucks Band's All-Star Joe Cocker Tribute Concert". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  15. "Quinn Sullivan To Perform At Mahindra Blues Fest 2015 -". 17 December 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  16. "Mahindra Blues Festival 2015: When the Blues came to town". Hindustan Times. 26 February 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  17. "Release "Rich Man" by Doyle Bramhall II - MusicBrainz". musicbrainz.org. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
    - "Doyle Bramhall II: Rich Man". PopMatters. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
  18. "Mascot Label Group Celebrates Breakthrough Year". Mascot Label Group. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  19. Grow, Kory (9 August 2018). "Hear Eric Clapton's Soloing on Doyle Bramhall II's New 'Everything You Need'". Penske Business Media. Rolling Stone Magazine. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  20. "Doyle Bramhall II Interview : Songwriter/Player/Producer". Guitar.com. Archived from the original on 11 December 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  21. "Doyle Bramhall II - Artist Profile". eventseeker.com. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  22. "Jeff Healey's Guitar Gear Rig and Equipment". Uberproaudio.com. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
  23. Jonathan Van Meter. "Renée Zellweger's Lost Decade". Vulture.
  24. ABC News. "Renée Zellweger Opens Up About Boyfriend". ABC News.
  25. "Renee Zellweger: My Boyfriend Is 'a Very Special Person'". 2 June 2017.
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