HOME MUSIC PHOTOS REVIEWS BIO LINKS
 |
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.
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.
Though--"no rest for the weary!" Currently, Jimmy O is in the studio recording his next CD for a 2003 release, At Every Turn (working title) with producer Rogers Masson, who has recorded with many top performers in the industry Eric Clapton, Emmylou Harris and Waylon Jennings and others. Jimmy and Rogers have committed themselves in keeping with the tradition of musical flexibility without sacrificing integrity. The new disc will feature 10 new songs, composed by Jimmy O. A landscape of musical genres, fused together and filling the appetites of Jimmy's fans and music enthusiasts across the board.
|
