John Lombardo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
John Lombardo (born 30 September 1952 in Jamestown, New York) is one of the original guitarists and songwriters for the folk-rock band 10,000 Maniacs and one of the band's most influential members, writing much of its early material. Called by the Buffalo News "a dominant force" in the Maniacs, Lombardo was in the group from its inception in 1981 until he left in 1986 after the release of 10KM's first major-label album, The Wishing Chair. Lombardo cited creative and political differences as his reasons for leaving the band.
[edit] Biography
He went on to form the folk-rock duo John & Mary with the classically trained Mary Ramsey, who played violin and viola for 10,000 Maniacs and sang backing vocals on the 1993 album MTV Unplugged. The pair made two recordings under the name John & Mary: Victory Gardens in 1991 and 1993's The Weedkiller's Daughter, called "a garden of shimmering delights" by the Atlanta Constitution. Both albums were released on Ryko and are out of print.
Lombardo returned to the Maniacs in 1994 after Natalie Merchant's departure, with Ramsey joining as the new lead singer. The duo released two albums with the Maniacs, 1997's Love Among the Ruins -- which contained a cover of the Brian Ferry song "More Than This" that did well in the U.S. charts -- and 1999's The Earth Pressed Flat. In 2002, after leaving the Maniacs following the death of guitarist Rob Buck, John and Mary released The Pinwheel Galaxy. With their current band, the Valkyries, they recently released Peace Bridge.
Melody Maker called Lombardo "one of the very great tunesmiths and guitarists of our age," and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote that he is "a fine songwriter whose adeptness at illustrating quiet desperation and rustic spirituality becomes more apparent with each listen." He is also an artist (paintings and collages).
