Geoff Everett

Geoff Everett is a lead rock-blues guitarist and lead vocalist-frontman based in South East England, United Kingdom (UK). He has been recognised for his experienced electric guitar playing, particularly in the area of improvisation. Everett also plays slide guitar, harmonica and mandolin, on both his live and recorded performances.

Collaborations

Everett has worked with: Screaming Lord Sutch in Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages^[1][2] (replacing well-known guitarists, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page), Alan Lancaster (Status Quo), David Knopfler (Dire Straits), Bob Henrit (The Kinks/Argent), Sam Kelly (Gary Moore), Jim Russell (Stretch/Scotty Moore), Carl Palmer (ELP and Atomic Rooster), Gerry McAvoy and Brendan O'Neill (Rory Gallagher/Nine Below Zero), Jim Leverton (Steve Marriott/Savoy Brown), Kim Beacon (String Driven Thing), Ian Paice (Deep Purple), Gordon Huntley (Matthew's Southern Comfort) and Bobby Miller (Supertramp).

Everett has written songs for Nine Below Zero, including "Satellite Blues" from the 1992 album, Off The Hook,^[3] and wrote several compositions on The Other Side, by The Herbs—a rare album release featuring John Keeble from Spandau Ballet and Dean Howard from T'Pau.

The early era

Everett started playing guitar and singing when he was 13, and immediately commenced live performances at events, such as parties and local dances, with his first group, The Reminiscents; the band was formed with fellow school-mates, Gary Pantry and Lee Abbott [now with international folk rock outfit, Magna Carta (band)]and later with Rob Jones. In 1967, Everett joined the Chicago Line Blues Band (see photo), as a semi-pro band (nurtured under the auspices of Blue Horizon's Mike Vernon (producer) and Dick Vernon) and played prestigious clubs, such as the Eel Pie Island blues venue in Twickenham, London, UK. At the Twickenham venue, Everett's new band supported and occasionally jammed with musicians such as Keef Hartley, Art Wood (Ronnie Wood's brother) and Ritchie Blackmore, amongst others.

In 1969, Everett joined a band from Earls Court, with Colin Solman on drums (who also later played with Screaming Lord Sutch), but Everett eventually left the band to commence a project with Alan Lancaster from Status Quo (band), citing a lack of ambition as the reason for his departure. However, Status Quo experienced an increase in popularity following a switch from pop to the rock genre, and Lancaster decided to cease his side involvement with the other group which he had formed with Everett. The remaining members after Lancaster's departure then became associated with the songwriting partnership of George Young (rock musician) and Harry Vander, from The Easybeats. Young and Vander were also involved with another band at the time, AC/DC, and this is where the pair's attention was focussed (Young's brothers, Angus and Malcolm, had formed the band).

The intermediate era

During the early 1970s, country music filled the musical gap, and in order to survive, Everett traveled the UK and abroad with several country bands. When at home he taught classical guitar privately and at adult education classes. Unfulfilled, he formed a funk blues outfit called Blind Eye in 1978 with Tony Ellis - who was also with Everett with Screaming Lord Sutch. In the early 1980s, more UK and Scandinavian tours followed, and Everett was asked by Tony Ellis to join The Cafe Racers, led by Dave Knopfler and Mark Knopfler, Mark having recently left to form Dire Straits.

Tony's involvement with the Knopfler brothers is outlined in the Mark Knopfler biography by Myles Palmer. Later during Everett's busy sessions, he met Gerry McAvoy and Brendan O'Neill who, when they were not playing with Rory Gallagher, joined Everett in a three-piece band called The Mosquitoes, playing pubs and clubs in and around London.

Recent times

The early 1990s saw Everett forming a rock, funk outfit called The Absolute, who gathered a large following at their performances. The late 1990s saw Everett touring with a band called 'A Band Named Sioux', The Cruising Mooses, and The Rob King Band. It was not long until Everett returned to fronting his rock and blues with the return of The Mosquitoes under the moniker, 'The Fabulous Mosquitoes'. The current incarnation of Everett's rock and blues outfit is 'The Geoff Everett Band',^[4] with bassist Kevin Dore and various high-profile drummers, such as Paul McCartney's drummer Paul Robinson and Sam Kelly from The Gary Moore Band. On their website, there is the following quote:

Geoff Everett is a guitarist and vocalist with stunning style. His playing is aggressive and beautiful with imaginative dynamics and articulate grammatical soloing. His performance is gutsy and very exciting. In addition to powerful vocals, Geoff also offers up stunningly exciting slide guitar work as well as mandolin, keyboard and harmonica. He writes and records in his own professional studio. Geoff is widely regarded in Europe and the UK as one of the finest performers and most innovative blues guitarists around today.

Everett can be found on Kent County Council's Kent TV,^[5] where Everett's unique soloing can be seen. Kent TV also broadcast a sample of an early Geoff Everett Band international gig in Meteor, Greece.^[6] His band are also heard from time to time on America's Texas Blues Café radio station and their podcast website.^[7] In 2009–2010, The Geoff Everett Band performed in the UK, Greece, France and Holland. In 2011 The Geoff Everett band released their album Adult Show, while continuing to perform.

Currently (2012), The Geoff Everett Band have finished recording a further studio album that features Albert Lee (lead guitar), Brendan O'Neill (Rory Gallagher/Nine Below Zero) on drums, and vocalist Mollie Marriott (daughter of Small Faces' Steve Marriott), and various other notables such as Dave Swarbrick (Fairport Convention) on fiddle, Tim Hinkley (piano), Alan Glen (harmonica) and Gary Barnacle (saxophone). The album is entitled "The Quick and The Dead" and has been mastered by producer Jon Astley, who has also produced works by Eric Clapton, John Mayall, The Who, Paul McCartney, Led Zeppelin, Stereophonics etc.

Instruments

Everett is well known for playing the Fender Stratocaster guitar; a rare pre-CBS 1964 version, and two eighties versions, one of which he uses for slide guitar and the other is the 'heavy-metal' model. He also plays a 1964 Gibson SG Junior and various other electric guitars from the 1950s onwards. His main amplification is an early 1980s Music Man (company) electric guitar amp.

References

Persondata
Name	Everett, Geoff
Alternative names
Short description	Guitarist
Date of birth
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