The Official
Web Site
Media & Press
>|
Gregg Wright is no stranger in these parts - he is welcomed onto the stage by the full house, and I mean the full house! The place is awash with people! He is given a hero's welcome, and he sets about bringing the house down round our heads in no time at all. This man is not given to gentle introductions or any formalities - he's straight down to business and his business is Rocking Blues. If you like your Blues dosed up in small easy to swallow chunks, then don't bother coming. Gregg's medicine is served up in massive infusions straight into the jugular. Overdoses are regular and the poor victims are seen staggering down the stairs, at intervals, and at the end of the evening's session. There is no antidote available at these gigs so I'm afraid to say that victims have to "cold turkey" it out post performance! His rhythm section are once again renegades from the Motel Kings and they maintain the high octane performance demanded by the Schumacher of Rocking Blues. Musos in the audience had eyes like kids in Toys 'R' Us just before Christmas. Several surreptitiously played air guitars during some of the numbers and were singing along to many a song and psalm from the Gregg Wright Book of Hymnals. His set contains a nice mix of golden Blues oldies and familiar anthems and stirred in are several numbers off his new CD (Lightning Strike). Now this is the only disappointment of the evening - Gregg's agent has forgotten to get copies of the new album out to him - they are still in Cambridge while he's here in Sunny South Wales! Now I ask you! The problem is solved as Gregg will write out receipts for monies taken for the CD and will dispatch the goods to Louise and Terry by the following week where purchaser's can pick them up. He wrote out a great many receipts at the end of the evening I can tell you! The crowd not only like this guy, they love and trust him! Songs played this evening from the album included "Nocturne" which has a swampy New Orleans southern slant to it as does "Mamma Made Gumbo". "Fast One" is another from the new CD aired this night. Old regulars featured were Hendrix's "Red House" and a superb rendition of Albert King's "Blues Before Sunrise" which had me tingling all over that night for the latter half was harmonica man, Richard J. Smith, who added a few nice touches to the glittering guitar work by Gregg. Before you know it was all over and and an encore ensued - luckily - otherwise there may have been a riot! This was the long and loud, but well worth the wait and assault on the ear drums, "Crank It Up". As I said, Gregg hung around to sign receipts and also several autographs and posters for the admiring crowd. This, I believe, is his only stop over in Wales and audience and band made the most of it. Next year we will have to get a few more venues sorted for him. Another great night. And by that I DO mean as great as Queen Elizabeth I, Winston Churchill, Isaac Newton...... Diane Gillard - Sister Feelgood Editor wanted to do a bit here as this was a most exciting night. This guy is awesome and then some. Anyone at the Wirral Guitar Festival can vouch for that as he turned it on again there. It was grand to sit and talk to the man naked (without guitar in hand) prior to the gig and to be hit by such a high octane performance of such power and intensity in such a laid back manner left me breathless.....'D' "Listen to the sound of the Guitar Man" |
|
Up at the Retreat at Bocking, a fabulous little pub venue with an excellent restaurant and some very fine ales, guitarist, songwriter, singer, producer and genuinely really nice guy, Gregg Wright, turned up the heat to Californian levels when he made his third visit towards the end of May. I had heard and read much about Gregg and Alan at the Retreat had been raving about him. For those who don’t know and have not been reading the Bluesletters! Gregg is a consummate musician who has played with the likes of Spencer Davis, the Gap Band, Mick Fleetwood and accompanied Michael Jackson on tour where he nearly eclipsed MJ, not an easy thing to do, and some would say not a wise thing to do!!! Gregg’s recently released CD, “Lightning Strikes!!!” is an excellent showcase for his talent featuring a fine variety of numbers. But it does not fully prepare you for the live performance! A left-handed player who plays his guitar upside down! Gregg absolutely blew the rapt audience at the Retreat away. With a rhythm section comprising Adam Clarkson, lead guitarist with the Motel Kings, on bass and the excellent Rick Kent on drums, Gregg’s two sets were spellbinding. Whether playing Hendrix (and if you closed your eyes you could well have believed that you were Jimi had been resurrected and was on stage at the retreat!), his own material or any of the other numbers he played, Gregg’s guitar mastery left the audience totally in awe. As one local left-handed guitar ace said to me at the interval, “After that, there are several numbers in my set which I’ll never play again!” What an evening! Gregg is back in November, make sure you catch him for a real Experience! |
| |||||||
That¹s the comparisons out of the way, so what are we left with? Judging 
by the crowds reaction and Gregg Wright¹s performance in Wirral, this a guy who is clearly his own person, has his own style and is a musician born to play the guitar. Gregg¹s concert, part of Wirral's International Guitar Festival of Great Britain, was on a sunday, not the most rock n' roll of days, but after almost two hours of blistering guitar play all of the captivated audience forgot it was back to work in the morning. His two set performance kicked off with some blues based tunes, all with a hard edge yet retaining the delicacy of a master craftsman at work. He showed excellent craft and guile on his red Strat, before going into Nocturn, and the the Albert King classic, born Under A Bad Sign - he sang'If it wasn't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all,' Fortunately all the luck in the world was on our side to be here tonight!. He mixed almost traditional blues licks with power based runs, so don't be fooled into thinking all Gregg Wright can do is play the blues - this guy has more depth then the Atlantic Ocean! His three piece band - featuring bassist Adam Clarkson and drummer and local boy, Chris Jago - offered great backing to the guitarist as their sound gelled and filled the theatre. 
Another Albert King song - Blues At Sunrise - followed, offering a more traditional blues sound, before ripping into the old Spencer Davis number, I'm A Man. Starting out faithful to the original song, it soon morphed into an extended jam featuring a series of Egyptian themes. 
By now it was obvious to everyone around, that the performance was probably going to be one of the Festival's highlights, and it was unlikely to be beaten during the 10 day period. Time for a break, before the second set began with a rolling blues based number, leading into Hoodoo Man (with its very Tony Joe White feel), and featuring some lovely bottleneck. Mother (?) Makes a Gumbo was next, in which Gregg explained the delicacies of this southern dish - bit more notice Gregg and I'll bring over a bowl of Scouse (potatoes, onions, carrots, peas, meat and whatever you want) for you to try!!! Then - especially brilliant for me as big Cream fan - he then performed a breakneck version of the Robert Johnson classic, Crossroads. A House Divided next, soulful and emotive, before going into an extensive solo guitar break, in which Gregg played a plethora of styles. He told the audience, 'This is a guitar festival, so.....; His guitar playing is astonishing, ripping out sounds, screeches, feedback - a masterful display reminiscent of (whisper it....Jimi Hendrix). 
Off the band went only to be encouraged back for an encore of Voodoo Chile. Again it started out cloned to the original, but soon Gregg Wright was stamping his own brand on it. Foe around 15 minutes he beguiled the audience before bringing the band back in and drawing it all to a close. Conclusion - If there is to be a better guitar performance seen at this years festival, it will have to go some way to beat Gregg Wright - a multi talented guitarist, gifted, dextrous, a guitarist which, if you have the chance, GO AND SEE HIM! Thanks Gregg for a great gig, come back next year, in fact, come back next week...move over Rover, Gregg's takin' over!! Web Site: 
He later told me that this was how he learned to play and although he can play right handed he can¹t play so well that way. Whatever the background this was a superb performance. The three-piece band was made up of Gregg on guitar and vocals, Norfolk based Adam Clarkson on Bass and excellent local drummer Chris Jacob on drums. Some may know Chris as the drummer with local band Funky Monks. During the night Gregg played two Stratocasters. His Hendrixesque style and influences are clear but Gregg is his own man and puts his own stamp on every song he plays. 
Also worth a mention are his excellent vocals which can easily be overlooked given his outstanding ability on guitar. In every sense this was a first class performance.