Joanne Shaw Taylor

Joanne Shaw Taylor (born 1985, England)[4] is a British blues rock singer and guitarist who was discovered by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics at the age of 16. The British music publication Blues Matters! called Taylor "the new face of the blues".[3]

Joanne Shaw Taylor
Joanne Shaw Taylor on the New Generation of British Blues Tour, May 2010
Background information
BornFebruary 1985 (age 35)[1]
Wednesbury, West Midlands, England[2]
GenresBlues rock[3]
Occupation(s)Guitarist, singer
Instrumentsvocals, Guitar
Years active2002–present
LabelsSilvertone, Sony Music, Ruf
Websitewww.joanneshawtaylor.com

Biography

Taylor was born in Wednesbury, West Midlands, England,[2] and grew up in Solihull, and was inspired in her early teens to play the blues after hearing Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert Collins and Jimi Hendrix.[4] Dave Stewart heard Taylor play, and in 2002 invited her to join his supergroup, D.U.P., on tour in Europe.[3]

In May 2009, Taylor released her debut album, White Sugar, on Ruf Records. Taylor's second release was 2010's Diamonds in the Dirt, also on Ruf Records. Both her albums peaked at number eight in the US Billboard Top Blues Albums chart. In 2010, she won Best Female Vocalist at the British Blues Awards.[5][6] She won the same award at the 2011 British Blues Awards, plus the Songwriter of the Year award for "Same As It Never Was" from Diamonds in the Dirt.[5]

On 4 June 2012, Taylor played lead guitar in Annie Lennox's band at the Diamond Jubilee Concert in London.[7] Taylor played an extended solo during the performance in front of Buckingham Palace, attended by approximately 12,000 people (not counting the many thousands lining The Mall).[8] Just before her solo spot, Taylor's Fuzz Face pedal malfunctioned, leaving a much cleaner guitar sound than usual. This apparent misfortune was ameliorated, however, when she was informed that Stevie Wonder had loved her "clean, bluesy, understated tone".[9]

Taylor's fourth studio album, The Dirty Truth, was recorded in Memphis, Tennessee with producer Jim Gaines, and was released on 22 September 2014.[10]

Wild, Taylor's fifth studio album was released on 30 September 2016. It was recorded in Nashville's Grand Victor Studios with Kevin Shirley working as producer.[11] The album became her first top 20 entry in the UK Albums Chart.[12]

In 2018, it was announced that Taylor had signed her first major label contract with Sony Music on their imprint, Silvertone Records.[13] She supported Foreigner at Birmingham's Symphony Hall on 15 May 2018 and at the Royal Albert Hall on 16 May.[14] Following her own headline tour in 2017, Taylor completed a four week tour around the United States, and returned to the UK in late 2018 to play intimate venues around the country.[15] Taylor's sixth album Reckless Heart was released on 15 March 2019 in the UK and Europe, and on 17 May in US.[16][17]

Equipment

Guitars

Taylor uses primarily Fender Telecaster electric guitars, although she also sometimes uses a Gibson Les Paul has also said she likes Stratocasters for rhythm guitar work. She acquired her main Telecaster, nicknamed 'Junior', at the age of 15. It is a modified 1966 Esquire model purchased secondhand in Denmark Street, London which has had a Fender Jazz humbucker neck pickup added in addition to the factory bridge pickup. She also uses a Fender Albert Collins signature model Telecaster which was a gift from Joe Bonamassa.

She uses Ernie Ball skinny top/heavy bottom strings and usually tunes the guitar to E♭.[18]

Amps

Taylor uses a Bletchley Belchfire 45 with a Marshall cabinet for a heavier sound and a 1970s Fender Pro Reverb for a cleaner sound.[18]

Pedals

She mainly uses one or two Ibanez Tube Screamer pedals along with a Holy Grail reverb. On some tracks she also uses a Vibe Machine for a vibrato effect.[18]

Discography

See also

References
  1. "Facebook - Joanne Shaw Taylor". Facebook.com. 5 June 2020.
  2. "Joanne Shaw Taylor @ The Robin, 17 May 2011". Brumlive.com. 17 May 2011.
  3. "Biography by Richard Skelly". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 11 January 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  4. Grahame Rhodes. "White Sugar review". Bluesinthenorthwest.com. Archived from the original on 23 January 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  5. "British Blues Awards 2011". Britishbluesawards.com. Archived from the original on 19 October 2011. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  6. Richard Skelly. "Joanne Shaw Taylor | Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2015-01-11. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
  7. "The Queens Diamond Jubilee Concert – Annie Lennox". YouTube. 2012-06-04. Archived from the original on 2012-07-02. Retrieved 2012-06-09.
  8. "BBC News – Stars perform at Diamond Jubilee concert". Bbc.co.uk. 2012-06-04. Archived from the original on 2016-01-15. Retrieved 2012-06-09.
  9. The Blues magazine, Issue 4, page 50
  10. "Dirty Truth – Joanne Shaw Taylor – Releases". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 22 September 2014.
  11. "Joanne Shaw Taylor reveals further details of her 5th album Wild". Archived from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  12. "JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  13. "Joanne Shaw Taylor signs album deal with Sony/Silvertone". Recordoftheday.com. Retrieved 2018-05-16.
  14. Stanley, Rebecca. "Black Country blues artist Joanne Shaw Taylor to support Foreigner on UK tour – including Birmingham show". Expressandstar.com. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  15. "PRESALE: Joanne Shaw Taylor announces intimate October tour & confirms sixth studio album". Planet Rock. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  16. "Joanne Shaw Taylor - Reckless Heart". TM Store. Archived from the original on 9 July 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  17. Whitmore, Laura B. (7 May 2019). "British Guitarist Joanne Shaw Taylor Bares It All on Reckless Heart". Parade. Retrieved 8 July 2019.
  18. "Rig Rundown - Joanne Shaw Taylor". YouTube. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  19. "Joanne Shaw Taylor | Discography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2015-01-04. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
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