Grammy Award-Winning Blues Artist Jonny Lang to Play The McCoy, 3/2
By: A.A. Cristi Jan. 23, 2018
Known for his stellar guitar playing and soulful voice, Grammy Award-winning Jonny Lang has created his own distinctive sound, blending blues, Gospel, and rock through deep guitar tones, strong melodies, and bluesy rhythms. At the young age of 36, Lang has been performing for more than two decades, and is now touring in support of his new album, Signs (September 2017), a guitar-driven collection that includes several songs inspired by minimalist recordings of blues greats Robert Johnson and Howlin' Wolf.
The McCoy Marquee Series presents Jonny Lang at the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts (100 W. Dublin-Granville Rd., New Albany) on Friday, March 2, at 8 pm. Tickets are $36.50-$66.50 at the CAPA Ticket Center (39 E. State St.), all Ticketmaster outlets, and www.ticketmaster.com. To purchase tickets by phone, please call (614) 469-0939 or (800) 745-3000.
Lang released his first platinum record at 15-an age when many young people are just beginning to play music. Lie to Me revealed a talent that transcended the crop of blues prodigies floating around in the late '90s. No flashy re-hasher of classic blues licks, even at that early age, Lang was a full-blown artist with a style of his own. Also, setting Lang apart from the wunderkind crowd was a 15-year-old voice that sounded like a weathered soul shouter. Actual life experience was yet to come, and has been subsequently chronicled in a series of five uniformly excellent recordings.
What began as a bluesy sound, influenced by electric pioneers like Albert Collins, B. B. King, and Buddy Guy, evolved over those recordings into a modern R&B style closer to Stevie Wonder and contemporary gospel music. Lang's distinctive, blues-inflected licks appeared on every album, but became one element in a sea of passionately sung and tightly arranged songs.
Signs, his most recent release, is not merely a return to the artist's guitar-based beginnings, but an embodiment of an even more elemental sound. Beyond focusing attention on his soloing prowess, it is about recapturing the spirit of the early blues, where the guitar was front and center, fairly leaping out of the speakers.
Since the release of his debut album, Lang has built a reputation as one of the best live performers and guitarists of his generation. His path Lang has brought him the opportunity to support or perform with some of the most respected legends in music, sharing stages with everyone from The Rolling Stones, B.B. King, Aerosmith, and Buddy Guy, who he continues to tour with today. Fans who discovered Lang through his searing instrumental work will revel in the huge guitar tones and go for broke solos on Signs, while those who have appreciated his growth as an honest and passionate songwriter will find that honesty and passion unabated. Though he long ago left blues purism behind, Lang has never abandoned its spirit of universal catharsis through the relating of personal trials. Signs reaffirms his commitment to the blues and the guitar without sacrificing the modern approach that has made him such a singular artist.
The 2017-18 Marquee Series at the McCoy Center for the Arts is made possible through the generous support of the New Albany Community Foundation and Lbrands Foundation, and presenting sponsors EMH&T, Savko & Sons, and Scioto Ready Mix. Additional support provided by Axium Plastics, Methodist Elder Care, New Albany Co., Ruscilli Construction Co., and Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP.
About the Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts
The Jeanne B. McCoy Community Center for the Arts, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, established in 2007 by a unique joint operating agreement between the New Albany Community Foundation, the City of New Albany, Plain Township, and the New Albany Plain Local School District. Since opening in 2008, the McCoy Center has drawn more than 100,000 people, fulfilling its mission of fostering an appreciation of arts and culture by providing life-long learning opportunities through education, exposure, and participation. For more information, visit www.mccoycenter.org.
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