Sonny Landreth
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Clyde Vernon Sonny Landreth III (born February 1, 1951 in Canton , Mississippi ) is an American blues musician , guitarist and singer-songwriter . He is considered one of the outstanding protagonists of the slide guitar , although he has developed a very idiosyncratic technique over the years and his style is clearly influenced by Zydeco and Cajun music , among other things . In addition to working on his 14 solo albums to date, he has participated in numerous recordings by other musicians from the United States and Europe and is generally known as Musician's Musician , i.e. as a musician who colleagues like to hire for their own productions. He played with John Hiatt , Tanita Tikaram , Stephan Eicher , Bonnie Raitt , Allen Toussaint , Mark Knopfler , Peter Maffay , Buddy Guy , Jimmy Buffett , Dolly Parton , John Mayall and Kenny Loggins, among others . In Europe he was best known for his work with John Hiatt. In addition, a number of his songs by colleagues as were Zachary Richard , John Mayall, Tom Principato , The Neville Brothers , Grace Darling or The Flying Burrito Brothers gecovert . Eric Clapton described him as " probably the most underrated musician on the planet - and probably one of the most advanced. "
Landreth lives with his family in Breaux Bridge , Louisiana .
Musical development and career
Landreth's musical roots lie in the jazz and rhythm and blues of the Mississippi Delta , where he was born the son of an insurance agent and a housewife, as well as the Zydeco and Cajun music of Southern Louisianna, where he grew up in Lafayette from the age of seven . Then there was the rock and roll of the late 1950s, which was played on many radio stations and which aroused his interest early on. He started playing the trumpet at the age of ten and in this way gained a further classical foundation. All of this affected him more or less at the same time and had a lasting influence on his musical development. At the age of 14 he finally got his first own guitar. By his own admission, the phrasing techniques of trumpet playing still play a role in the way he plays the guitar and arranges his solos. He found a similar approach e.g. B. with colleague Robben Ford , who began his musical career with the saxophone before he learned to play the guitar.
Landreth made his first attempts with a lap steel guitar before he discovered slide guitar playing on a "normal" guitar. He tried to use the ring and middle finger for the bottleneck , but quickly found that his little finger was the most suitable. At the same time, he grabbed chords and individual notes behind the bottleneck with his other fingers and thus developed a combination of slide and fingering technique that was unusual up to that point. It also played a role that this made it easier to play minor chords with open major tunings . As his main influences he named the guitarists Chet Atkins and Robert Johnson .
He developed into a sought-after sideman over the years and was the first white musician in Clifton Chenier ’s Red Hot Louisiana Band in 1979. He played with many greats in the scene and received support from them for his further development. Eric Clapton, Robben Ford, Mark Knopfler or Vince Gill are examples of colleagues who stood by him with advice and action, and who all had more or less the same musical background, which promoted collaboration and productivity accordingly. With the release of his third album Outward Bound his own success set in and Landreth gained a wide audience and fan base with his extraordinary musical skills. His development as a songwriter and singer also played a role here.
Landreth is touring regularly and has participated in Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2004, 2007, 2010, and 2013 .
The Goners
Since the album Outward Bound , Landreth played all recordings with his band The Goners , which was previously called the Bayou Rhythm Band , which includes bassist David Ranson , a childhood friend of Landreth, and drummer Kenneth Blevins. The band first gained their reputation through a tour with John Hiatt in 1988. Since then, John Hiatt has recorded three albums with the trio around Sonny Landreth: Slow Turning (1989), The Tiki Bar Is Open (2001) and Beneath This Gruff Exterior (2003 ). In return, John Hiatt returned the favor with guest appearances on Landreth's albums Outward Bound and Levee Town .
Trivia
Based on his playing technique of the slide guitar and his musical focus, the Zydeco, Landreth was nicknamed "The King of Slydeco".
Awards
- Americana Music Association - Instrumentalist of the Year 2005
- offBeat magazine's Best of the Beat award - Best Guitar Player 2008
- Guitarplayer Magazine - Readers' Choice Awards: Best Slide Guitarist 2008
- The Blues Foundation - Blues Music Award - Instrumentalist Guitar of the year , 2009
Discography
Sonny Landreth has released the following albums so far.
- 1981 Blues Attack (re-released 1996 )
- 1986 Down in Louisiana (re-released 1993 )
- 1992 Outward Bound
- 1995 South of I-10
- 1997 Crazy Cajun Recordings - original recordings from 1973 and 1977
- 2000 Levee Town
- 2000 Prodigal Son: The Collection - original recordings from 1973 and 1977
- 2003 The Road We're On
- 2005 Grant Street (2005) - live recording
- 2008 From the Reach
- 2008 Blue Tarp Blues - feat. Mark Knopfler
- 2012 Elemental Journey - instrumental album
- 2015 Bound by the Blues
- 2017 Recorded Live in Lafayette
- 2020 Blacktop Run
Guest appearances
Extract from guest engagements as a sideman / session musician
- 1975 Lost Generation [Japan bonus track] - Elliott Murphy
- 1975 Lost Generation - Elliott Murphy
- 1977 If You Don't Love Me - Freddy Fender
- 1985 Looking Back - Zachary Richard
- 1985 Zydecajun - Wayne Toups
- 1986 Christmas Bayou - Michael Doucet w / Beausoleil
- 1987 Bayou Boogie - Beausoleil
- 1987 Louisiana Scrapbook - Various Artists
- 1988 Allons a Lafayette - Beausoleil
- 1988 Michael Doucet & Cajun Brew - Michael Doucet & Cajun Brew
- 1988 Slow Turning - John Hiatt
- 1988 Used's - Marti Jones
- 1989 Cajun Spice - Various Artists
- 1989 EEE - Don Dixon
- 1989 Evidence - Boo Hewerdine
- 1989 Good Evening - Marshall Crenshaw
- 1990 Any Kind of Lie - Marti Jones
- 1990 Best of La Louisianne Records - Various Artists
- 1990 Sense of Place - John Mayall
- 1990 Sweet Keeper - Tanita Tikaram
- 1990 Women in the Room - Zachary Richard
- 1991 Doo Dad - Webb Wilder
- 1991 Déjá vu - Beausoleil
- 1991 Mardi Gras Party [Rounder] - Various Artists
- 1991 Osez Joséphine - Alain Bashung
- 1991 Sue Medley - Sue Medley
- 1992 Cajun Dance Hall Special - Various Artists
- 1992 Diamonds by the Yard - Elliott Murphy
- 1992 Is Anybody There - John Hiatt
- 1992 Louisiana Hot Sauce Creole Style - Canray Fontetot
- 1992 Outward Bound - Sonny Landreth
- 1992 Bayou Deluxe - Michael Doucet w / Beausoleil
- 1993 Carcassonne - Stephan Eicher
- 1993 Down in Louisiana - Sonny Landreth
- 1993 Is My Love Enough? - Chris Daniels and the Kings
- 1993 Outside: From the Redwoods - Kenny Loggins
- 1993 Slidin '… Some - Various Artists
- 1993 Trace of Time - Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys
- 1994 Chatterton - Alain Bashung
- 1994 Long Way Home - Dama & D'Gary
- 1995 Bloom - Billy Pilgrim
- 1995 Cities' Sampler Vo. 7: Essentials - Various Artists
- 1995 Everybody's Gettin 'Some - Junior Wells
- 1998 encounters - Peter Maffay
- 2004 A Night in London - Mark Knopfler
Web links
- Sonny Landreth at Allmusic (English)
- Official website of Sonny Landreth
- All about Jazz - Sonny Landreth musician profile
- Dr. Matt Warnock on guitar international - Sonny Landreth interview
- Interview Sonny Landreth - Tones and Tuning on guitar.com
- BB King Blues Club, New York
swell
- ↑ Chart sources: Switzerland / USA
- ↑ Interview with Sonny Landreth in the Herald Tribune
- ↑ Sonny Landreth biography on itunes.com
- ^ All about Jazz - Sonny Landreth Musician Profile
- ^ Sonny Landreth Website - Music
- ↑ guitarplayer.com - True Fire Presents Sonny Landreth's Slide Supernatural
- ↑ a b Kevin O'Horan: On a musical journey, Sonny Landreth's still taking chances
- ↑ a b Interview with Matt Warnock on guitar international ( memento of the original from November 5, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ encyclopedia.com
- ↑ John Hiatt & the Goners on puremusic.com
- ↑ Americana Music Association ( Memento of the original from October 18, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ offbeat.com
- ^ Guitarplayer.com - The 2008 GP Readers' Choice Awards
- ↑ The Blues Foundation ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b Sonny Landreth website - discography
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Landreth, Sonny |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Clyde Vernon Sonny Landreth III |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American blues musician and slide guitarist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 1, 1951 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Canton , Mississippi , United States |