Leading Australian Blues Guitarists : Phil Manning, Gwyn Ashton, Dave Hole, Tommy Emmanuel, Phil Emmanuel, Kevin Borich, Gerry Joe Weise, John Butler, Rob Tognoni, Tim Gaze, Jimi Hocking, Dom Turner, Shane Pacey, Eben Hale, Mal Eastick, Jeff Lang, Johno, Ash Grunwald, Matt Walker, Dave McFarlane.

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Bank Hughes - president                   Jim Page - editor

 G'day ! BGA.com  is a collection of Blues web sites, best known to the Australian public. An interest has created a need to group these artists together, to inform the World, showcase their talent, and to help promote the lesser known artists overseas. This may not be an exhaustive list of Australian Blues guitarists, but the list does get to show-off, in a fair dinkum way, all the great web sites available on the Net, offered by some of Australia's finest, all of which are our local Guitar Heroes. Aussie guitarists have high standards, an Australian flavour, a distinctive oz brand of Blues Rock, supported by one wonderful ripper of a country to tour.

BGA.com, is proud to be Australian. We would like to thank Amber, John, Sharon and Madison for their research, long hours, and aid in creating with us BGA.com.

   http://www.philmanning.com.au

Since the forming of Chain in 1968, and the first album "Chain Live" in 1969, Phil Manning has been Australia's most important Blues guitarist, turning more Australians onto the Blues than any other aussie performer. Chain is also known as to be the only Blues act to have a number one hit in Australia with "Black & Blue" in 1971. In 1977, Phil Manning went onto a solo career with his famed "I Wish There Was A Way". The reunion album with Matt Taylor (Chain's vocalist) "Oz Blues" was released in 1980. As Phil Manning was at the forefront of Australian Blues from the very early 1970's, he has had the great privelidge of sharing the stage with many of the great legends of our time. He has toured as opening act for Muddy Waters, Freddie King, Hound Dog Taylor, Albert Collins, Alexis Korner, Roy Buchanan, George Thorogood, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. He has played with Bo Diddley, Mick Taylor and Champion Jack Dupree. And finally he has supported the Rolling Stones, Free, the Kinks, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, B.B. King, Albert King, John Mayall, Taj Mahal. Rory Gallagher, Robert Cray and Bob Brozman, just to name a few !

   http://www.gwynashton.com

Gwyn Ashton was born in Wales and migrated to Adelaide, South Australia in the mid-sixties. He began to play guitar in 1972, inspired by the many musicians on the Australian scene. After playing around Adelaide for several years he moved to Sydney in 1983, where he played guitar in the Stevie Wright Band. In the 1990's in Melbourne, he released 2 albums after he toured supporting Junior Wells, Rory Gallagher and Albert Lee. Gwyn Ashton has toured Europe regularly since 1996 where he set up base in England, playing with the musicians from the Rory Gallagher band, and releasing the famous "Fang It !" in 2000. He performs relentlessly across the World and has toured with many greats, where he has appeared with Peter Green, Dr Feelgood, Nine Below Zero, Sam Brown, Bernie Marsden, Micky Moody; and jammed with Hubert Sumlin, Canned Heat, Chris Duarte and Cesar Diaz.

   http://www.davehole.com

Born in England in 1948, at the age of 4 years old, Dave Hole moved with his family to Perth, Western Australia. While growing up he was influenced by Robert Johnson, Elmore James and Mississippi Fred McDowell. Dave Hole is probably one of our best and most original exports to the U.S.! With his furious energy and amazing over-the-top style playing, he is definately one of Australia's, and the World's great slide masters. After playing the Australian club circuit for over twenty years, he released the great self produced first album, "Short Fuse Blues" in 1991, and he has done many world tours since. He has played large stadiums and arenas, as well as London's Royal Albert Hall supporting Gary Moore. He has headlined many festivals in Germany, France, Holland, Denmark, Switzerland, he has even toured Brazil. The 1999 "Under The Spell" album won him an ARIA Award. 

Although Tommy & Phil Emmanuel are not 100% Blues guitarists, they are however capable of playing Country Blues, Bluegrass, Blues Rock, with outstanding technique and emotion.

   http://www.tommyemmanuel.com

Tommy Emmanuel's finger-style playing has earned him a broad international recognition. His 1996 duo release with the great Chet Atkins "The Day The Finger Pickers Took Over The World" was nominated for a Grammy Award. Tommy Emmanuel was voted "Most Popular Guitarist" by Australia's Rolling Stone Magazine twice, and he has earned 4 Platinum and Gold albums. Not bad for a youngster that learned to play guitar at the age of 4, and started his career with his brother, back in the 1960's.

  http://homepages.picknowl.com.au/jackie/splash.htm

Phil Emmanuel's live repertoir is known to contain a large range of material from Mozart to Stevie Ray Vaughan, as well as great outstanding originals. He played at the Closing Ceremony Of Sydney's 2000 Olympics, along with his brother Tommy Emmanuel. Phil Emmanuel has shared the stage with Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Duane Eddy, Bonnie Raitt and James Burton.

   http://www.kevinborich.com.au

Kevin Borich started his career in the 1960's with the LA-DE-DA'S in New Zealand, he later formed the Kevin Borich Express in Sydney in the 1970's, and has performed at many big Festival events in Australia. Joe Walsh has recorded with Kevin Borich and The Party Boys (of which Borich was a founding member). Kevin Borich has also jammed with Carlos Santana, Bo Diddley, John Mayall, Taj Mahal and Ron Wood. He has toured overseas with Jimmy Barnes, and he was inducted into the Australian Blues Foundation Hall Of Fame in 2003, after his Heritage Award in Australian Blues Music back in 1999. The "Live At The Big Kahua" is a double live album show-casing Kevin Borich's versatile Blues and great guitar chops from one of Australia's few legends.

   http://www.myspace.com/gerryjoeweiseblues

Gerry Joe Weise was born in 1959 in Sydney, where he learned to play the guitar at the age of 4. During the 1970's he supported AC/DC, Angels, Rose Tattoo, Dragon and Midnight Oil, at venues like the Bondi Lifesaver and Chequers with bands the Class and Siren in Sydney. He joined the progressive Corroboree that had drummer Craig Collinge (ex Manfred Mann, Procession, Paul McCartney), and pianist Cezary Skubiszewski (film composer "Two Hands", ex Alexis Korner). In 1980 Gerry Joe Weise took a big step forward and moved to Europe, where he lived in several different countries (France, Germany and Switzerland) until he returned to Australia in 1999. In 2000 he wrote two songs for Nabarlek (Indigenous Live Band Of The Year 2005 Award), for their 2nd album "Bininj Manborlh". Throughout his countless European tours, he has jammed with B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Albert Collins, Noel Redding, Deborah Coleman and Eric Clapton. His trios have had musicians from Mick Taylor, Roy Buchanan, Savoy Brown, Tower Of Power, Ravi Shankar, Big Ed Sullivan and Otis Grand. Gerry Joe Weise has guest supported Ray Charles, Buddy Guy, The Scorpions, B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Pat Metheny, John McLaughlin, Albert Collins, Eric Clapton, Bob Brozman, Luther Allison, Iggy Pop & The Stooges, The Yardbirds, Canned Heat, Noel Redding, Joe Louis Walker, Matt 'Guitar' Murphy, Luther 'Houserocker' Johnson, Van Wilks, Dave Hole, Jerry McCain, Deborah Coleman, Nine Below Zero, the Chicago Blues Festival Tour and the San Francisco Blues Festival Tour in Europe. He has released the albums 1994 "Live In Paris", 1996 "A Letter To Jimi", 1999 "Bushman Boogie", 2005 "Sydney-Paris Blues".

   http://www.johnbutlertrio.com

Born in the U.S.A., in the 1990's John Butler started out as a teenage guitarist in a small town in Western Australia after spending the first 11 years of his life growing up in California. With the release of his first album "Self Titled" in 1998, he began to tour regularly in Australia. When "Three" was released in 2001, the John Butler Trio won an ARIA Award for "Best Independant Release", the album then went Platinum ! John Butler is a great 12-string and lap steel player, his Blues Roots drenched originals, have been well aclaimed in Europe and the U.S.A.

   http://www.robtognoni.com

Rob Tognoni is well known for his power Blues Rock. Born in 1960, a Tasmanian native, and well established on the European circuit, the Rob Tognoni band delivers a no-nonsense sound built on heavy riffs. He debuted on the international scene in 1996 with his "Stones And Colours" album produced by Dave Hole. He has supported Sting, Yes, Jethro Tull, Lonnie Mack, Joe Walsh and Roy Buchanan. The energetic 1999 release "Live At The Twilight", was recorded at the Twilight Cafe in Belgium.

   http://www.timgaze.com

Tim Gaze was born in 1953. As a member of Tamam Shud, in 1972 they recorded 3 songs for the classic surf film soundtrack "Morning Of The Earth" which became a Gold record. Tim Gaze played on Ariel's debut album "A Strange Fantastic Dream", and he toured with Stevie Wright And The All Stars. By the late 1970's, he formed his own Tim Gaze Band, where in 1982 they appeared on the soundtrack of the surf film "Band On The Run". During the mid 1980's, he then joined Rose Tattoo as slide guitarist. In 1998 he formed the Blues Doctors and released the great album "Blues Remedy" with covers by Bukka White and Little Walter, as well as outstanding original compositions. Tim Gaze is a very talented studio guitarist and writer. In 2005 he joined Jimmy Barnes, touring Australia and overseas.

   http://www.jimihocking.com

Jimi Hocking has worked as a guitarist, fronting his own band since the early 1980's, plying his wares around Melbourne. He has composed and recorded the soundtrack for the film "Emerging" and the series "Fame and Misfortune". He had a stint with the Angels in 1988, and joined The Screaming Jets in 1993, who had a couple of National Top 5 hits. Jimi Hocking had a sucessful solo album with "The Ultimate Bootleg" released in 1996, sending him up front on the acoustic roots circuit. In 1999 he released the majestic "Blue Guitar", spotlighting the excellent electric and acoustic guitar that is known to Hocking.

   http://www.backsliders.com.au

Guitarist Dom Turner, has a special style of slide, using resonator, 6 & 12 string acoustics. He is responsable for the Backsliders own genre of Delta-Blues-wall-of-sound, a mix of piedmont Blues, dub and sounds of Asia. In 2004 he was voted "Songwriter Of The Year" at the Australian Blues Awards in Golburn N.S.W. The Backsliders album "Hanoi", described as a new direction for the band, was voted "Album Of The Year 2002" by Rhythms Magazine. They have supported Junior Wells, Lil' Charlie & The Nightcats, Peter Green, Charlie Musselwhite and John Hammond. The Backsliders are known to use a minimalist approach and build to a storm. The "Backsliders Live" album released in 2005, is a compilation of crowd pleasers that have come a long way ever since their first release back in 1988.

   http://www.bondicigars.com.au

The Bondi Cigars are a mix of rhythmic rootsy grooves with Blues, soul and funk, formed in 1989. The guitar duo of Shane Pacey and Eben Hale of this quartet, continually crash the boundaries of standard Blues rhythms, and boast as being one of Australia's most admired Blues-aligned bands. The Bondi Cigars trademark twin lead guitar arrangements, work in continual tandem, overlapping and alternating. They compose well too, as the majority of their songs are originals. Their double live 12th Anniversary album "Down In The Valley" released in 2001, was nominated at the 2003 ARIA Awards for "Best Blues & Roots Album". The 2003 release "12 Lies", received "Best Group, Best Album and Best Producer" at the 2004 Australian Blues Awards.

   http://www.maleastick.com

Mal Eastick was born in Adelaide in 1954, he brings a passionate, soulful and explosive style to the Sydney scene. He has jammed with Buddy Guy, Robert Cray, Los Lobos, George Thorogood and Joe Walsh. Mal Eastick has also played on the Hoodoo Gurus and Jimmy Barnes albums. He has released 2 excellent albums: "Spirit" and "The Southern Line". His style is like Texas meets Australia, with shuffles, boogies and lounge-styles, to tradional Blues that hits all the right notes.

   http://www.jefflang.com.au

Hailing from Geelong, Jeff Lang began to play guitar at age 14. In 1990 he formed the Jeff Lang Band, and in 1991 he had a stint in Chain and on Chain's album "Trouble In The Wind". Since Jeff Lang's debut release "Ravenswood" in 1994, he has toured Europe, the U.S. and Canada. In 2002 he won an ARIA Award for his collaboration with Bob Brozman for "Best Blues & Roots Album". Jeff Lang has also jammed with Albert Collins, and supported Junior Wells, Rory Gallagher, Jeff Healey, Canned Heat and The Ford Blues Band. 

   http://www.cairns.net.au./~pedro/johnos/johnosband.htm

In the early 1980's on the Barbay Coast of Northern Queensland, Johno started with the Blues. He has composed many songs about the Queensland life-style, where originally some audience goers were pearl smugglers and frontier men who once abounded in Cairns. Today Johno's Blues Band is the house band at the legendary Johnos Blues Club on the Great Barrier Reef. Johno's music is popular in the film industry, and features in a number of documentaries about Australia and its crocodiles. Johno has toured extensively America, Europe, and has jammed with Albert King and Junior Wells.

   http://www.ashgrunwald.com

Melbourne's Ash Grunwald, uses lap slide guitar with early Delta Blues, mixed with modern grooves in a contemporary roots style. He tours regularly Europe and North America, bringing that special brand of Australian Roots music overseas. He has received several Awards including "Album Of The Year" for the "Live At The Corner" album at the 2005 Australian Blues Awards, as well as "Male Vocalist Of The Year & Best New Talent" Award at the 2003 Australian Blues Awards. In 2004 he participated in the International Blues Challenge on the "Good Morning Memphis" show in the U.S.

   http://www.mattwalkerandashleydavies.com

Matt Walker is a slide guitarist from Melbourne. He won an ARIA Award for "Best Blues & Roots Album" in 2000 for "Soul Witness". The "Matt Walker And Ashley Davies" album released in 2005, with guitar and drums in a studio playing live situation, is best known for its emotion and feeling with a lot of heart and soul. The duo performances have taken them to the U.S.A. and Europe, where improvisation and risk-taking make their performances so very hot.

   http://www.davemcfarlane.com

Dave McFarlane, born, bred in the Dandenong Ranges, is a Melbourne based folk Blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He released his first solo acoustic album "Strange Kind Of Dream" in 1997 with a no-frills type of honesty, reminiscent of early Blues records. It featured "Travelling Man" which won the 1997 Lawson Patterson Songwriting Award at the Port Fairy Folk Festival. The Dave McFarlane sound has been described as: unplugged folk energies into dynamic acoustic blues rock, trademark roots instrumentals, with infectious rhythm and soaring harmonies.