On May 9, 2003, Jimmy O's final show was performed at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano. Jimmy's performance that night was his normal fantastic putting on a show for the audience as he always did. With his Fender Showmaster firmly in hand Jimmy O burned up the fret board, but always in a tasy restrained manner, letting the songs themselves set the pace. Jimmy was not feeling his best that night but it did not take away from his performance. After the show Jimmy O collapsed in the parking lot, never to perform for us again.
Jimmy O's greatest thrill was playing guitar, singing, and performing to an audience. "At times he plays fancy riffs...there's a great economy about his playing as if he were choosing every note to mean something special" - Jon Pepper, Southland Blues. Jimmy O had for the past two years been working as a guitar slinger and singer for other groups, Blues Gone South, The New Boxtops, and others. Jimmy was a great addition to any band and as always the musicians, who worked and played with Jimmy, had a great respect for him as a person and a musician.
He always supported his coworkers and helped them through each show musically. Jimmy's confident style of blues and and aggressive lyrical use of the blues progression to elevate his blunt viewpoint of the world around him by playing with such energy and virtuosity energized his fellow musicians to his level, always creating a frenzy with the crowds that went to see them perform.
The tried-and-true saying, "If you're good people will
notice!" couldn't be more applicable to anyone than
exciting blues/rock guitarist/vocalist Jimmy 'O'.
The talented Los Angeles resident has been making friends and
winning favor with his crossover contemporary blues/rock
sound. Variety is the spice of Jimmy's music. As Bernard
Bauer from Music Magazine says, "Jimmy O and his band are
unique in their approach to the blues. They are not tied down by
its format, but rather expands its boundaries. It's still blues at
its essence, but they take it to different places."
As a young child Jimmy O was influenced by guitar greats, B.B. King, Jimi
Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page - hard acts to follow.
(Note: "I had the good privilege to meet B.B. King at the Greek
Theater in Los Angeles in 1997. A DJ friend of mine invited me back
stage to meet B.B. I sat and spoke with him. I remember I asked him
to autograph my CD of which I had recorded one of his songs. After he
signed it, he looked me dead in the eye and asked me for my
autograph. I chuckled. But he was serious. I was honored. It showed
me just how down-to-earth this man was." - Jimmy O). But with
perseverance and dedication, Jimmy enrolled in the
school of hard knocks and never looked back, spending
long hours in the studio, honing his songwriting skills
and playing with passion, heart and soul--No easy task
in the bump-and-grind of the L. A. club circuit.
Jimmy O was always writing and creating music.
Eventually, Jimmy O formed his own band in 1985,
playing his particular brand of music in every honky tonk,
bar, saloon, and ultimately creating a buzz on the
Sunset Strip at clubs like Gazzari's, the Whiskey A
Go-Go and the Roxy. Then, after 10 years on the circuit,
Jimmy released his debut CD Bolt from the Blue to
favorable reviews: "This debut release from local player
Jimmy O is a strong first entry. It contains some great guitar playing
and good vocal turns by Jimmy himself. Not only does Jimmy prove
himself a fine player, but also as a good songwriter, penning six of the
ten tunes on the disc." Jon Pepper - Southland Blues.
This began a series of concerts for Jimmy as opening act for Jefferson Starship, Rick Derringer, Philip
Walker and James Harman, becoming a well respected performer and regular at B.B. King's--House of
Blues and other clubs and venues throughout Southern California.
In 1999, Jimmy O released his follow-up CD Barbed Wire and Silk. Here's a reference to this
newest CD, "…a cross between barbed wire and silk. Jimmy's chops were as hard and tough as a
lumberjack's but purred like a kitten on slower tunes…one to keep." Big Al--Real Radio, Australia.
"Blues-tinged rock and roll shows up in tracks like "She Won't Do It,(But Her Sister Will)," "Breakdown"
and "Ain't Too Hard." Songs like these, with their exciting and inspired rapid-fire guitar playing skirting
around a locked groove, seem to work. That's what Jimmy aims at and his aim is true!" Tom
Clarke--Bluesprint.
Jimmy's second CD Barbed Wire & Silk set he and his band onto successful engagements in Tahiti and Japan and as headliners in Las Vegas and Reno Nevada.
This CD illustrates musical landscapes of musical genres, fused together and filling the appetites of Jimmy's fans and music enthusiasts across the board.
