“MY JOB IS TO SING, PLAY GUITAR AND MAKE THE AUDIENCE FEEL SOMETHING”

Blues sensation Joanne Shaw Taylor loves being back on the road. She only gets nervous when she plays for friends – like Joe Bonamassa...

- Ellie Rogers

Since she was a teenager playing the West Midlands pub circuit, Joanne Shaw Taylor has been hailed as one of the finest contemporary blues guitarists to emerge from the UK scene in recent memory. But until September last year, she’d never cut an album that was pure blues from top to tail.

Cue The Blues Album, a record produced by blues megastar Joe Bonamassa, and stuffed full of deep cuts from the likes of Little Milton, Albert King and Magic Sam. It was an album that Joanne had always wanted to make, and it was met with widespread acclaim.

Now, two years after her last tour was curtailed by the pandemic, Joanne returns to the stage in April with a run of six blues-loaded concerts - armed with her number one guitar, “Junior”, a 1966 Fender Esquire.

What led you to make The Blues Album?

I’d never really considered myself a blues artist. I’m hugely blues-influenced, and it wasn’t intentional not to be a blues artist. All my guitar influences were predominantly blues, but when it came to learning to sing, I couldn’t sound like Albert Collins or Howlin’ Wolf. I tried, but it just wasn’t happening! So when it came to finding female singers I could relate to, it tended to be Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin - more soul stuff. Over the years, I’ve become this artist that’s a blend of blues, soul and pop. The other thing is, I don’t feel like I’ve ever been able to write blues songs. Usually traditional blues songs are 1-4-5 and written around a really good hook. You know, Smokestack Lightning doesn’t really have many lyrics to it other than “Aaahoo