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Jonny Lang’s talent belies superlatives. His extraordinary singing and guitar playing stamped him as a once-in-a-generation blues talent. His 1997 debut, LIE TO ME, jumped to the top of the new artist album charts, and critics marveled at the poise and maturity the 16-year-old artist displayed. Lang has been on the road since LIE TO ME’s release, touring with Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, B.B. King, and Blues Traveler, as well as headlining around the world.
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About Jonny Lang
On WANDER THIS WORLD, his new release, Lang has expanded his foundation of blues into R&B, rock and ballads. "The blues had a baby, and they called it rock & roll" Lang said, quoting Muddy Waters with his characteristic, easygoing laugh. The album smokes from the opening, funky track, "Still Rainin’" through the lilting waltz, "Leaving to Stay." Lang’s own heartfelt ballad "Breakin’ Me," and the dark, moody acoustic lament, "The Levee."
Jonny Lang (born January 29, 1981) is an American blues guitarist, originally from Fargo, North Dakota. In 1995, at the age of 14, his first album was released; Smokin by Kid Jonny Lang and the Big Bang. At age 15, Lang released his debut solo album Lie to Me. Part of this success is due to a voice that sounds like that of 40 year old blues veteran, containing a harshness tempered by a fine falsetto that has taken prominence in his newest albums. Part of it is his scorching guitar solos, which display a prodigious natural talent honed by years of practice and playing. Whatever the secret to his success, the youngster has quickly become a fixture in the blues world, drawing crowds wherever he goes.
Away from the stage, Lang is a very quiet, unassuming character. He is deeply religious, so much so that he's slipping away from blues for his next album and into a more gospely type style, and is deeply committed to his wife (while playing a show, in response to a yell from the crowd of "Johnny, I love you!" he held up his hand and said "See this ring?").
Modern blues in the '90s had a weird phenomenon of teenage blues guitarists rocketing to popularity with their first album. The entire trend culminated with Jonny Lang, a guitarist from Fargo, North Dakota, who released his solo debut album Lie to Me when he was 15. At the age of 12, he attended a show by the Bad Medicine Blues Band and began playing with the group. Several months later he had become the leader, and the newly re-named Kid Jonny Lang & the Big Bang relocated from Fargo to Minneapolis and released their debut album, Smokin, in 1995. The LP became a regional hit, leading to a major-label bidding war and culminating in Lang's signing to A&M Records in 1996. Early in 1997, his major-label debut, Lie to Me, was released to mixed reviews; Wander This World followed late the next year.
