| Jonny Lang | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Born | January 29, 1981 |
| Genres | Gospel, rock, blues |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Website | http://www.jonnylang.com/ |
Jonny Lang (born Jon Gordon Langseth, Jr., January 29, 1981, Fargo, North Dakota, United States) is a Grammy award-winning American blues, gospel, and rock singer, songwriter and recording artist. Lang's music is notable for both his unusual voice, which has been compared to that of a forty-year-old blues veteran,[1] and for his guitar solos. His solo patterns have especially been noted for the constant use of wide vibratos.
Contents |
Jonny Lang originally used Benedict guitars but now mainly uses a Fender Telecaster Thinline made by the Fender Custom Shop. He also takes out a Gibson Les Paul for some occasions. The Telecaster Thinline has a Spruce body, maple top and birdseye maple neck. He uses Bill Lawrence Pickups (500L Neck, 500XL Bridge) and a Seymour Duncan P-90 in the middle. He uses a Route 66 pedal of Visual Sound and a Vox 847 reissue Wah Wah pedal for some songs. Live, he plays through a pair of Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue Amps. Jonny also used an arbiter Fuzz Face and an Electro Harmonix POG for The Experience Hendrix tour.
From 1993 to 1996, Lang's backing band was The Big Bang. This group consisted of three founding members of the Bad Medicine Blues Band: Ted "Lightnin' Boy" Larsen on guitar, his brother Michael Rey Larsen on drums, and Jeff Hayenga on bass. Keyboardist Bruce McCabe joined The Big Bang in 1995 after Lang and this young band from Fargo impressed him with their set opening for McCabe's band at the time, The Hoopsnakes.
From 1996 to 2004, Lang's backing band included Paul Diethelm on guitar, Bruce McCabe on keyboards, Doug Nelson on bass and Billy Thommes on drums. Also appearing on keyboards during 2003 and in 2004 was Donnie La Marca in place of McCabe when he had to leave the road for some time. Nelson was killed in a traffic accident in 2000 and was replaced by Billy Franze. Franze was in turn replaced by Jim Anton in 2003. Saxophone player David Eiland was added in 2000, providing Lang with a foil for extended instrumental jams. In 2005, Lang replaced the entire lineup, except for Anton, and embarked on an acoustic tour. He performed with Wendy Alane Wright at the 2000 pre-Grammy party. New guitarist Reeve Carney was also the Lang band's opening act for several shows in 2005 and as well as the 2006 and 2007 tours. The new band also includes organist and Houston, Texas native Charles Jones, plus drummer Barry Alexander and organist Bill Brown from Minneapolis.
Lang married his girlfriend, Haylie Johnson, on June 8, 2001. They have three children; two twins, Raimy and Saylor, and a daughter Renn. They live in Los Angeles, California.