User:Joncleary05

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Jonathan Cleary, a New Orleans based musician, was born in North London in 1962 and moved to Louisiana in 1980. His style embodies the tradition of the great New Orleans piano professors like Professor Longhair, Dr. John, James Booker, and Allen Toussaint combining old time boogie-woogie, rhythm and blues, and funk with elements of the Caribbean and Cuba.

Cleary grew up in a musical household. His Uncles and Father were all singers and musicians, as were his grandfather and grandmother who performed under the stage names of Frank Neville 'The little Fella with the educated Feet' and Sweet Dolly Daydream. He began playing along with Beatles LPs on the guitar at the age of 5, and at age 11 joined the orchestra for a children’s theater group. Cleary’s first paying gig was at The Duke of York pub in Cranbrook when he was just 14, sitting in with Eric Money and Louis Turpin. Upon meeting Roger Hubbard, an acclaimed slide guitarist living in Hastings, Cleary formed his first real gigging band, Delta Wing. Cleary studied art at West Kent College, and then worked on a building site while saving up money to move to New Orleans.

At 17, Cleary made the move to the Big Easy and sought employment painting at the Maple Leaf Bar, and slowly began making a name for himself playing local gigs with some of New Orleans most talented musicians. He picked up residencies at the Maple Leaf, Tipitinas, and the Old Absinthe House bar. Cleary also went out on the road with drummer Kenneth Blevins and original Meters bassist, George Porter, Jr. while backing up Snooks Eaglin and Earl King at steady gigs around the Crescent City. Jon found himself joining a rhythm section comprised of artists such as Erving Charles and Smokey Johnson from Fats' Dominos' band, Johnny Vidacovich and James Singleton.

As a session musician, sideman and a band leader, Cleary performed with Ernie K-doe, Jessie Hill, John Mooney. He joined Johnny Adams musical director Walter ‘Wolfman ‘Washingtons ‘Solar System’ band and performed with Johnny and Walter regularly at famed New Orleans late night hangout, Dorothy’s Medallion Lounge. He recorded two albums with Johnny and Walter for Rounder records at this time. He also started touring regularly in Europe and Australia, both as a solo act and with pick-up bands.

Jon recorded his first album, Alligator Lips and Dirty Rice, after receiving financial backing from John Broven, author of Walking to New Orleans. Cleary recorded another solo album, Moonburn, in 1989. He then lived briefly in New York City but moved back to Louisiana in 1992 and formed The Absolute Monster Gentlemen with Derwin “Big D” Perkins and Cornell Williams, formerly of the gospel band the Friendly Travelers. Cleary got the phrase “absolute monster gentlemen” from Johnny “Guitar” Watson, who used this term to describe his own band members. The steady band line up allowed Jon to perform his own compositions and the musical direction changed from traditional New Orleans rhythm and blues to a more sophisticated, syncopated style of soul and funk.

After returning to London, Cleary spent some time traveling and touring solo returning to the U.S. in 1995 to write and tour with roots legend, Taj Mahal in Los Angeles. Subsequently, Bonnie Raitt asked him to join her band and he stayed on, contributing two songs to the next album Silver Lining in 2002. Cleary also recorded the self-titled Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen for Basin Street Records the same year. He has continued to put out his own albums with the Absolute Monster Gentlemen including Pin Your Spin on Basin Street Records. In 2007, Cleary released a solo EP recording in hotel rooms during an extended tour with Bonnie Raitt, entitled Do Not Disturb. Cleary’s piano stylings and vocals are heard on recordings by Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, B.B. King, Ryan Adams, and Eric Burdon, India Arie, and Keb Mo. Cleary’s original compositions have been recorded by Taj Mahal on Phantom Blues, and Bonnie Raitt’s most recent albums Souls Alike and Silver Lining. He was featured in a Martin Scorsese T.V documentary with Tom Jones, Van Morrison and Jeff Beck.

Cleary currently does double duty performing as full-time keyboardist for Grammy Winner Bonnie Raitt when not touring with the Absolute Monster Gentlemen. Basic Info: Jonathan Cleary,born : London, August 11, 1962. Musician, born in England, moved to New Orleans 1980.

Influences: Johnny 'Guitar' Watson, Lowell George, Mac Rebbenac, Allen Toussaint, Taj Mahal, Walter Washington, Chuck Leavell, Billy Payne, James Booker, Earl King, Ernesto Lecuona, Papo Lucca, Contemporaries: Walter Washington, Henry Butler, John Mooney, Davell Crawford

Notable Quotes: "Jon Cleary is the ninth wonder in the world."-- Bonnie Raitt "Cleary can be an absolute monster on his own, but Cleary’s full combo R&B is as broad, deep and roiling as the Mississippi river, the combined swinging product of local keyboard tradition, Cleary’s vocal-songwriting flair for moody “Seventies soul and the spunky-Meters roll of his Gentlemen."- David Fricke "Pin Your Spin" Review Rolling Stone - April 21, 2004 “Cleary plays piano as if he's revving up an engine and sings as if a line drawing of his behatted self were next to "soul" in Webster's.” --The Washington Post, June 15, 2005 -- Pamela Murray Winters

“The Next New Orleans Piano ‘Professor’”- FoxNews.com

Discography: ‘Alligator Lips and Dirty Rice’ 1994 –FHQ Records ‘Moonburn’ 1999-Virgin/Point Blank Records ‘Jon Cleary and the Absolute Monster Gentlemen’ 2002 -Basin Street Records ‘Pin Your Spin’ 2004 -Basin Street Records ‘Do Not Disturb’ 2007 –FHQ Records

Artist Website: www.joncleary.com www.myspace.com/joncleary