Joanne Shaw Taylor
Blues hotshots used to be all guys. Not any more.
One day 18 years ago, Joanne Shaw Taylor finished her day at school in Birmingham, then travelled to London to play at the famous Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. It was the first rung of a dizzying ascent for the young singer/ guitarist. Taken under the wing of former Eurythmics man Dave Stewart, then signing to German blues-cub specialists Ruf Records, Shaw Taylor has since turned in five albums of smoky-voiced, soul-onsleeve blues rock – and almost shaken off the stigma of being young and blonde in an older man’s genre.
If you were editing this issue, who would you put on the cover?
Joan Jett would be up there. I’ve always liked her, since I was a kid. For me it’s because there weren’t many female players that played like boys, and managed to be sexy, but without trying to advertise the fact they were female. Joan was kind of androgynous – well, she was punk, I suppose – and more masculine and ballsy.
What advice would you give your twentytwo-year-old self?
Stop being so anxious. I was always a worrier. I look back and think: “Most of your friends are pissed-up at university, drinking away their student fund, so I wouldn’t worry about it, love.”
Your rise seems fantastical. Presumably there have been harder moments too? Yeah. Early on it went great with the Dave Stewart thing. But then I was left without a deal and had to move back in with my parents. I’d have to take bar work to subsidise myself. It wasn’t really until Diamonds In The Dirt, the second album, where I could stop. I never minded working for a living, but around then it got a bit soul-destroying.
Have you ever caught yourself acting like a rock star?
No. I’ve caught myself acting like a grump – when it’s six in the morning, you’ve had two hours’ sleep and your drummer won’t shut up.
You’re close friends with Joe Bonamassa. How did that come about?
I did a festival with him in Norway about ten years ago. He was trying to show me some Les Pauls. I just stood there quietly, and eventually just went: “I don’t like Les Pauls, I play Telecasters.” Apparently he was quite impressed with my crankiness.
Living in Detroit, what do you miss about Britain – rain, pubs, Pot Noodle…?
I don’t need Pot Noodles because my tour manager carries them in bulk wherever we go in the world. You can take the boy out of Redditch… I do miss the pubs. Walking to the pub on a Sunday and having a drink and a Sunday roast. They have a great bar culture in America, but they don’t have a pub culture.
What’s the most annoying question you get asked in interviews?
I suppose it’s the token: “What’s it like to be a female guitar player?” Well, I’ve never been a male one, so I have nothing to compare it to and, shockingly, my ovaries don’t dictate my guitar tone. So I should imagine it’s pretty similar, really.