Jon Cleary (musician)
| Jon Cleary | |
|---|---|
Jon Cleary (2008)
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| Background information | |
| Born |
August 11, 1962 Kent, England |
| Genres | Funk, R&B, soul |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Labels | FHQ, Basin Street, Virgin/Point Blank, Ace |
| Associated acts | Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, Snooks Eaglin |
| Website | www |
Jon Cleary (born August 11, 1962) is a funk and R&B musician based in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was originally from Cranbrook in Kent, England, and has studied for the past 20 years the "musical culture and life of New Orleans," according to his website. Cleary is an accomplished pianist as well as being a multi-instrumentalist, a vocalist and a songwriter.
Jon Cleary performs with a number of music luminaries including Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, B.B. King, Ryan Adams, and Eric Burdon. Compositions by Cleary have been recorded by notable musicians including Taj Mahal, Bonnie Raitt and most recently John Scofield on his album, Piety Street.
Cleary's current band is Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen, who have released two albums. The album, Go Go Juice, won the Grammy Award for Best Regional Roots Music Album in 2016.
Cleary grew up in the South East of England attending Colliers Green Primary School, Angley Secondary and then Cranbrook School. His father played guitar and it was his uncle, returning from trips to America bringing recordings of Professor Longhair and others, who inspired his love for R&B. Cleary's focus was always more on art and music and everything that goes with it, than academic pursuits and soon left schooling behind to develop a life in music.
Jon Cleary & the Absolute Monster Gentlemen consist of Cleary on keyboard and vocals; Derwin "Big D" Perkins (born 1974) on guitar; Cornell C. Williams (born 1962) on bass and backup vocals; and A.J. Hall on drums. All of the band members, except for Cleary, were born in New Orleans.
The band is generally well received, drawing large crowds of locals at classic New Orleans venues like Tipitina's and the Maple Leaf Bar. They are also a mainstay at the annual Jazz and Heritage Festival and have played at Bonnaroo as well as other music festivals. Rolling Stone's David Fricke wrote of the Pin Your Spin album: "Cleary can be an absolute monster on his own, but Cleary’s full combo R&B is as broad, deep and roiling as the Mississippi river, the combined swinging product of local keyboard tradition, Cleary’s vocal-songwriting flair for moody Seventies soul and the spunky-meters roll of his Gentlemen".
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