THE SOUL OF JOHN BLACK
The eponymous debut album by The Soul Of John Black, the group fronted by John “JB” Bigham and co-produced by Chris Thomas, earned rave reviews in the Wall Street Journal, Interview, Blender, Billboard and New Yorker magazine. Rolling Stone hailed it as “amazing (the harbinger of)… a whole new brand of soul." The album introduced Bigham’s songwriting expertise and unique guitar technique on acoustic, electric and slide as well as his gritty, openhearted vocal style. Its soul, hip-hop, funk and Afrobeat influences established Bigham as an adventurous artist, a man who wasn’t afraid to take risks in pursuit of his musical vision. On his sophomore release, The Good Girl Blues, Bigham is the sole producer, switching gears and refocusing on the roots of African American music – the blues.
JB’s musical history boasts an impressive resume. He’s written songs for Miles Davis and played percussion in the Davis group. His track “Jilli” is featured on Amandla, the trumpeter’s last studio album. He also appears on the recently released Davis DVD, Live In Paris, recorded at the 10th Paris Jazz Festival. Bigham played guitar and keyboard for the pioneering rock-funk-ska band Fishbone for eight years, contributing songs, guitars, keyboards, background vocals and production expertise to the albums The Reality Of My Surroundings, Give A Monkey A Brain and Chim Chim’s Bad Ass Revenge. Later on, he toured as a side man and played on sessions with artists as varied as Eminem, Dr. Dré, Rosey, Joi, Nikka Costa, Bruce Hornsby and Everlast.
Bigham’s latest solo project The Good Girl Blues is a testament to the forceful beauty of music that’s been stripped down to its essence – guitar, voice and naked human emotion delivered in sparse performances that grabs your attention with its raw and spontaneous power.
The Good Girl Blues could be seen as a primer on the history of the blues, an impressive journey that showcases Bigham’s knowledge of the genre and his mastery of its stylistic diversity. He played all the guitars on the album - acoustic, electric and slide, as well as writing the drum tracks. The album kicks off with “The Hole,” a wailing, field hollar influenced tune that tips its hat to Lead Belly and the music’s foundation in African American folklore. Bigham’s anguished vocal and crackling guitar work is set against a Latin rhythm that suggests both Bo Diddley and the sugar plantations of the Caribbean. Backing singers Laura Jane Jones, Kandace Linsey and Jonell Kennedy add sanctified harmonies that give the tune a spiritual boost. “I Got Work” brings to mind the sweet, uptown soul of Memphis with its slick, old school, mack daddy vibe. Bigham’s sly, intimate vocal and his slinky slide guitar work give the track a playful, sexy atmosphere. The melody was inspired by the unique sound of the Stella guitar. “I played all the slide guitar parts on the album with an old Stella guitar Daniel Lanois hipped me to,” Bigham explains. “The Stella" guitar was a part of the Harmony Guitar company in Chicago, so that’s probably why it got used by so many blues players. I found it in a Hollywood pawnshop for about 75 bucks.” The working girls on Sunset Boulevard inspired “One Hit,” a song marked by a bright, bouncy, sing-along chorus and some propulsive bass guitar by Chris Thomas. The serious message about the hazards of street life is lightened up by Bigham’s playful vocal.
“The band isn’t called The Soul Of John Black for nothing. I like the dark element, but I don’t want to
bum anyone out, so I inject a little bit of humor. The album also includes “The Moon Blues,” a slow, smoky tune that brings to mind the buttery crooning of Al Green; the tour de force of “Moanin',” which delivers plenty of emotion with Bigham’s wordless vocals and tortured acoustic playing and “Slipin’ and Slidin’,” an instrumental with a swampy, mysterious backbeat that’s highlighted by DJ Phizz Ed on turntables and Bigham’s low key fretboard virtuosity. “I don’t try to blow minds when I play,” Bigham says. “The best solos are melodic; people should be able to whistle anything you play. You can shred all day long, but the melody has to stand out. Another guitar player once told me: ‘There’s no money past the fifth fret.’”
Bigham wrote and produced the tracks on The Good Girl Blues at Whitley Manor with the help of Adam McDougal on keys, Shawn Davis on bass and Davey Chegwidden on percussion, all from Nikka Costa’s touring band and DJ Phizz Ed. Co-producer from The Soul of John Black's debut CD, Chris “CT” Thomas added bass to “One Hit” and “Feelin’s.” Bigham asserts, “The blues is the past, present and future of American music. The production may be modern, but when I play these tunes acoustically, without the drumbeats, I still have folks coming to say how much they love the songs. There’s no one-way to play the blues, it's just a feeling.”
The Soul Of John Black’s moniker was inspired by the 1976 cult film J.D.’s Revenge starring Glen Turnman. It’s a name with a bit of darkness in it, a bit of mystery. JB adds "I tend to like artists who lean towards the shadows and walk the edge and wanted my music to reflect that."
On The Good Girl Blues, JB's homage to the blues pioneers and soul crooners that have influenced him over the years – Lead Belly, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Blind Boy Fuller, Al Green,Sun House and B.B. King – with tunes that blend down home grit with today’s studio polish.
John Lee Hooker said "Real blues, that's what you call soul and I'm gonna stay in Soulville a little while." JB says, “me too!”
