Artists:Big John Shearer
From WWR
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Big John Shearer is a lively ambassador and interpreter of vintage acoustic blues. His performances range from the blues' earliest incarnation as a cappella spirituals on the plantations of the Old South to the more sophisticated "Café Society Blues" that marked the music form's transformation as it migrated to Northern cities from the 1930s to the '50s. Among Shearer's strongest influences was Josh White, a key exponent of Piedmont blues, who later moved into the folk revival scene with fellow transplanted blues artists Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, joining the likes of Woody Guthrie and Burl Ives. White, along with artists like Bessie Smith and Leadbelly, helped move the blues in a direction parallel to jazz - across racial lines and to an audience of Northern, urban "sophisticates", accustomed to chamber music, opera, ballet, and theater.
Shearer learned many songs of the Café Society Blues era during college summers over 30 years ago, and says their power and popularity have withstood the test of time to remain vital music today. His warm, bellowing bass (vocal) has an amazing presence - his large frame is like a natural acoustic amphitheater for his voice - and he imbues each Café Society Blues standard with both a theatrical drama and a reverence for authentic form. Shearer accompanies himself on a custom 914ce, and says that beyond the balanced tone and easy action, Taylors give him an "unparalleled ability to cry or growl depending on the desired response."
Shearer credits the production values of Pat Ward for giving Vintage Café Society Blues its large sound, along with the evocative harmonica accents of harp master Paul "Lebo" Nash - who's played with Willie Dixon, Matt "Guitar" Murphy, Greg Allman, and John Hammond - for helping to stay faithful to the vintage acoustic blues sound. Shearer also recorded Vintage Café Society Blues in analog format and without overdubs to best capture the music's warmth. Selections include such classics as "St. James Infirmary," "One Meat Ball," "Trouble in Mind," "Sixteen Tons," and "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime," along with a Shearer original, "Uncharted Ground."
Based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Shearer performs at various festivals and corporate special events throughout the region. He won the Triangle Blues Society competition, headlined the First Night Raleigh '98 Blues Stage, and at the University of North Carolina, successfully launched the Carolina Club's "Acoustic & Blues Night" series, which enjoyed sold-out performances and rave reviews. Shearer also acts and does voiceover work, and sings classically - he has performed as a member of the Greater Miami Civic Chorale and the Miami Bach Society Chorale.
External links
| Big John Shearer on MySpace |
| Big John Shearer on Wikipedia |
More information
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This artist lives in North Carolina. |
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The gender of this artist/group is male. |
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Request a show of songs by Big John Shearer
| Song | Album | Length | Played | Overall | You | Tags | Single Request |
| St. James Infirmary | Vintage Cafe Society Blues | 4:20 | 28 |  12 votes |
You have to login to give your opinion about songs. | Acoustic / Blues / Brooding | One Meat Ball | Vintage Cafe Society Blues | 3:34 | 29 | 9 votes |
You have to login to give your opinion about songs. | Acoustic / Blues / Food | Timber | Vintage Cafe Society Blues | 3:45 | 29 | 2 votes |
You have to login to give your opinion about songs. | Acoustic / Blues / Logging |
| Total Time | 11:39 |
The current music queue contains 13 songs that will take 44 mins, 59 secs to play.
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Artist name is|Big John Shearer Last played| more than 1 month ago ---------------------------------------- Show name| Songs by Big John Shearer Length| 15 minutes Order by| random Limit| 3 songs ----------------------------------------
Stats
- Spotlighted: Sunday, June 26th 2005
- Songs on WWR: 11
- Total plays: 325
- Total requests: 103
- Total listens: 4835
- CDBaby referrals: 0
- CDBaby sales:
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