By Christie Goodwin

Joanne Shaw Taylor Biography

Joanne Shaw Taylor was discovered by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics at the age of 16 who, having watched her play, immediately invited her on the road with his supergroup D.U.P. - a career in music was born and in the proceeding years, her incredible guitar playing saw her build an army of plaudits including Jimmy Cliff, Joe Bonamassa, Stevie Wonder and Annie Lennox.

Still only in her 30’s, she has become one of the most sought-after guitarists in the world of rock. She released her first album on Ruf Records entitled WHITE SUGAR (2009), unleashing her distinct soulful voice on the world, and demonstrating a song writing prowess way beyond her years - the world of blues rock had a new star! Over the next few years, she released critically acclaimed albums including her sophomore album DIAMONDS IN THE DIRT (2010), ALMOST ALWAYS NEVER (2012) which featured the UK radio hit ‘Soul Station’, plus her final album for Ruf Records - the live album SONGS FROM THE ROAD (2013).

In 2014 she released her fourth studio album THE DIRTY TRUTH on Axehouse Records that featured the singles ‘Mud, Honey’ and ‘Wicked Soul’. In 2016, Joanne followed up with the release of her fifth album WILD (Produced by Kevin Shirley) which saw her perform songs ‘Dyin’ To Know’ and ‘Summertime’ on BBC Two Television’s popular music show Later With Jools Holland. Three years later, in 2019 she signed to Silvertone Records via Sony Music and released her sixth studio album, RECKLESS HEART.

Over the past two decades, Joanne has proven herself as a prolific songwriter, releasing seven acclaimed albums under her belt, each increasingly more successful with her 2019 RECKLESS HEART breaking into the UK Top 20 Album Chart and cementing herself as one of the most important exports in British blues-rock.

Her highly anticipated upcoming album is currently in the works. The new collection of songs was produced by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith at Oceanway Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, and will be released on Bonamassa’s KTBA Records on September 24, 2021.

THE BLUES ALBUM TRACKLISTING

1. STOP MESSIN’ ROUND (3:38)
2. IF THAT AIN’T A REASON (4:00)
3. KEEP ON LOVIN’ ME (4:07)
4. IF YOU GOTTA MAKE A FOOL OF SOMEBODY (4:10)
5. DON’T GO AWAY MAD feat. Joe Bonamassa (2:49)
6. SCRAPS VIGNETTE (1:27)
7. CAN’T YOU SEE WHAT YOU’RE DOING TO ME (4:25)
8. LET ME DOWN EASY (4:50)
9. TWO TIME MY LOVIN’ (4:34)
10. I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’VE GOT feat. Mike Farris (4:49)
11. THREE TIME LOSER (4:52)

Keeping the Blues Alive Records

https://shop.jbonamassa.com/collections/ktba-records

The new independent record label is an offshoot of Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Joe Bonamassa’s non-profit that aims to conserve the art of music in schools and preserve the rich culture and history of the blues. Bonamassa along with his long-time manager and business partner, Roy Weisman, have expanded their business by creating the new label, Keeping the Blues Alive (KTBA) Records.

The first release on the label was Dion’s album BLUES WITH FRIENDS that was released to critical acclaim in June 2020. In February 2021, KTBA Records release Joanna Connor’s album 4801 SOUTH INDIANA AVENUE which received rave reviews worldwide.

KTBA Records’ main objective is to provide a platform for musical talent in blues and blues-rock based music and helping promote the careers of extraordinary musical talent. The label works synergistically with the non-profit’s mission of supporting musicians to continue the legacy of the blues. 10% of all profits from KTBA Records are donated to the non-profit.

KTBA Records is an important step in the co-evolution of the music and the business of making it. It represents another of Bonamassa’s continuing efforts over the last 25 years in support the artistic community. It reflects the philosophy of paying it forward just as so many did for Joe in the hope of paving the way for blues artists in the future. Visit https://www.ktbarecords.com/ for further information.

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