Country roads lead John Denver fans to Lochranza performance
Fans of the music of John Denver are in for a treat when Chris Bannister returns to Lochranza and Catacol Village Hall for a tribute performance.
Following an incredible evening last year, audience members can look forward to a show of rare quality, on Saturday June 3, with a performance showcasing the exceptional talent of this singer/songwriter with his self-penned collection of songs, his covers of much-loved classics and undiscovered folk songs or simply his tribute to the music of John Denver.
Chris has gained an international reputation which has delighted fans for more than two decades. His debut album Only Human was released in 1992. Produced in a small Liverpool studio and on an independent label, the album, which combined country, folk and rock elements, caught the attention of legendary broadcaster Bob Harris, who added the album to his radio playlist.
The single We Were Children was released in 1993 and, having been included on the BBC Radio 2 playlist, brought Chris’s work to a wider audience.
Subsequently, his live shows were enthusiastically received and, being much in demand, Chris spent the next few years focused on extensive touring, performing up to 200 live shows a year before releasing his second album
Colours after which he once again toured extensively. Chris has also toured as a support act for artists including The Stylistics, Rick Wakeman, Heather Small and most recently with the Snake Davis Band.
In 2001, Chris recorded the album October Already at Revolution Studios in Cheshire. This was produced by Andy McPherson and Justin Richards and featured Roy Martin on drums and Sad Cafe’s Ian Wilson on backing vocals and guitar.
October Already served to cement Chris’s reputation as a songwriter and performer of excep- tional quality.
He released his fifth album The Unicorn and Other Stories last year, a collection of Nova Scotian folk songs with entirely new arrangements and melodies which has delighted Chris’s existing fans and served to introduce Chris to a new audience. In 2010, Chris began touring with his solo show The Music
of John Denver celebrating the life and work of the legendary singer/songwriter in his own unique way.
Unlike look-a-like tributes, Chris’s uncanny ability to recreate the sound of John Denver has brought him widespread acclaim. It is a testament to his talent that Chris has an international reputation and no surprise to learn that he regularly performs in Aspen Colorado to sell-out audiences.
Chris has worked alongside Wrecking Crew saxophonist and flautist Jim Horn, who was the longest-serving musician in Denver’s band.
Chris also worked with John Denver’s legendary lead guitar player Steve Weisberg, who played on hits like Annie’s
Song, Back Home Again and Grandma’s Feather Bed. Steve sadly died last year and, in recognition of Chris’s exceptional talent and for his work in honouring the music of John Denver, Steve bequeathed his 1937 Epiphone guitar to Chris in his will.
This year sees Chris returning to Colorado for the fifth time.
It is the 20th anniversary of John Denver’s death and Chris was honoured to have been asked to perform as part of the celebrations of John’s life and work that are taking place in Aspen, the singer and activist’s adopted hometown.
As well as continuing to write, record and perform his own music, Chris has recorded several John Denver radio specials for the BBC and toured the show extensively for the past six years.