Photograph by Dave Peabody
© 2005
"Michael
Messer is a virtuoso slide guitarist who has one of the best bands performing
some of the greatest blues tunes produced this century. His playing encompasses
the
entire history of the blues but is totally individual and contemporary. His use
of
turntables in the band adds a new element to the music and Messer’s
haunting vocals ooze authenticity and integrity. The American magazine, ‘Spirit’
listed Michael as one of the greatest slide guitarists ever alongside
Duane Allman and Ry Cooder". Dave Tracey
Photograph by
William White© 2004
Michael Messer was born in Middlesex in 1956. Throughout his childhood and teens
he played rock music with his two brothers and in various local bands. In his
early
twenties, Messer spent time in Nashville where he had the chance to meet and
hear
some of the ‘greats’ of country music performing in their home environment.
These included Roy Acuff, Hank Snow and Johnny Cash. Back home in England in the
late seventies, Messer was mastering the art of Mississippi delta blues slide
guitar,
buying his first National steel guitar in 1979. He began playing blues gigs,
both as a
solo artist and in various local bands in the early eighties.
In 1983 he
met Ed Genis and they began playing music together, a partnership that has
lasted for the past two decades. During that year, Messer started gigging
regularly with
British blues singer, Mike Cooper, and through him he got known on the folk and
blues circuit.
In 1984, Cooper asked him to play slide guitar on The Continuous Preaching
Blues, an album
he was recording with Ian Anderson (now editor of fROOTS).
Photograph by Alan Messer©
2001
The Michael Messer Band was formed in 1985 and they cut their first album,
Diving Duck,
in 1987 which received some fantastic reviews.
“Beautifully played.
Diving Duck is the kind of album Ry Cooder should be making”. Q
magazine
In 1989 Messer produced and played on an album with the legendary Venice Beach
busker,
Ted Hawkins, called I Love You Too, which was later re-released as
Nowhere to Run.
In that same year he became friends with the late S.E. Rogie and produced some
tracks
for his New Sounds of S.E .Rogie album.
Messer’s second album Slidedance was released in 1990,
and one year later, he was voted
Acoustic Blues Artist
of the Year
at the B.B.C Awards. “To say that Messer is
a slide guitarist
is like describing Mother Theresa as
a nun! Slidedance is possibly the finest
blues / world music album of the
year.
One of the best slide guitarists Britain has ever produced”. Time Out
Rhythm Oil, a trio album with songwriter Terry Clarke and Texas guitar
ace, Jesse ‘Guitar’ Taylor,
was released in 1993. The CD boasts sleeve notes written by the late Johnny
Cash, a rare honour
shared with Bob Dylan and Kris Kristofferson. “What
I hear here is the real thing - Bare-bones
blues gut-bucket rural rock. This record carried me away to a long time ago,
down a delta dirt
road to a land of my musical good-old-daysing.
PS…Don't squeeze the trigger, if you can't stand the recoil.” Johnny Cash
1995 saw the
release of Moonbeat, which featured a mixture of world music and blues, as well
as DJ Louie Genis (son of rhythm guitarist Ed) scratching old blues vinyl. A
practise that became
popular a few years later with the likes of Little Axe, Moby and R.L. Burnside.
"MOONbeat is an extraordinary, innovative album that
deserves to be heard".
In 1999,
Messer went to Alberta to record with Canadian guitarist/songwriter Doug Cox.
One of
Cox’s songs from the sessions, Cold When I’m Dead, which features Messer
playing electric slide
guitar, can be heard in the latest Terry Gilliam movie Tideland.
In 2001
Messer released King Guitar, a compilation album comprising of sixteen
tracks from back
catalogue. The album received critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic,
reached number
one in the US
Living Blues
chart and in
May 2001 was the most played album on US college radio.
One prominent American reviewer described him as “an unavoidable force in
modern blues” and
commented that “King Guitar has met a new century with style,
grace and a new colourful direction
for the music”.
photograph by William White© 2005
Second Mind,
recorded and
released in 2002 followed the widespread success of King Guitar.
This highly anticipated and critically acclaimed album featured Messer’s regular
band, plus the
great Ruby Turner on backing vocals. DJ Louie Genis came back into the fold and
this time
instead of working on one or two tracks, he cut loose and played on the whole
album,
creating a sound that was both totally contemporary and very traditional. The
album
won the Best Blues Guitar Album at the 2003 International Guitar
Federation awards,
beating other nominees including Chris Rea, Sonny Landreth and Eric Bibb.
On ‘Second Mind’, Michael delivered a set of
recordings that stretch across the
musical landscape. Deeply rooted in and inflected with the blues, the album
incorporates a rich and
diverse texture of different styles that appeal to an array of musical
tastes.
‘Michael
Messer is one
of the most important bluesmen in Britain and mightily relevant
throughout
the blues world. He has
progressed from being an excellent technician - on
the National Steel
especially, to being in the
vanguard of the 21st century blues. And
that doesn't mean he has forsaken
traditional values
either. A beautiful amalgam of
history and foresight; musicality and grit;
blues, boogie
and beats -
Second Mind is a work of near genius’. Joe
Cushley – Mojo/Blues Matters
Messer signed to Cooking Vinyl in 2005 and released his eighth album, Lucky Charms,
in February 2006. Recorded and mixed the old way with no digital
trickery or computers,
just reels of tape, live performances, an old mixing desk and a lot of patience.
The album
features ten original songs. Louie Genis, now very much a part of the Michael
Messer sound,
is scratching and texturing with loops, old vinyl and home made samples, and the
music has
a more acoustic feel to it than Second Mind. Ed Genis is playing rhythm
guitar, Richard Causon
is on keyboards, Jerry Soffe is on bass, Simon Price is on the drums, and
of course
Michael Messer is singing and playing slide guitar. Lucky Charms has
garnered some fantastic
reviews and along with recent tour dates, festival appearances and live sessions
for various
radio stations during 2006, Michael Messer is becoming known worldwide for his
unique sounding band, Michael Messer & the Second Mind Band.
In 2007 Soyuz Music in Russia released Lucky Charms, Second Mind & King Guitar.
The albums are garnering excellent reviews and
magazine coverage
in the
Russian press.
2007 also saw the release of National Debt's CD, 'From the Horse's Mouth'. The
album was
featured on Mark Lamarr's BBC Radio show and received great reviews from the
British music press.
In November 2007 Michael Messer & BJ Cole debuted their steel & slide guitar
show 'That Sliding Sound'
at the International Festival of Guitar in Lancashire. The show was a great
success and Michael & BJ are
planning to make a DVD & CD of 'That Sliding Sound'. In July of 2007, along with
the Campbell Brothers
and Debashish Bhattacharya, Michael Messer was one of three featured slide
guitarists at the Cognac
Blues Passions festival in France. Later in 2007 Michael Messer & Ed Genis
played to an ecstatic crowd
at the prestigious 'Issoudun Guitar Festival', which is also in France.
2008 started with a run of sell-out UK tour dates
for both Michael Messer & Ed Genis, and
Michael Messer & the Second Mind Band. This year also marks twenty five years of
Michael Messer & Ed Genis
playing together as a duo.
Spring 2008 and Michael launches his own range
of resonator guitars.
Not many guitarists would be brave enough to step into guitar design
on their own, but that's exactly what British slide expert Michael Messer
is doing with the launch of these two new resonator models
Guitarist Magazine UK - April 2008
----------------------------------------
photograph by William White© 2005
Michael Messer’s significance as a blues artist is further confirmed by his
inclusion in
"The Virgin Encyclopaedia of the Blues.” Messer’s name appears alongside
many of the
blues ‘greats’ who influenced his playing.
Newtone® Guitar Strings in conjunction with
National Reso-phonic® Guitars have a
Michael Messer
brand specifically made for the National steel guitar, which reflects the
esteem in which he is
held.
These are the brand leaders in their field and used by most National
steel players around the world.
photograph by William White© 2005
MICHAEL MESSER ALBUMS, SINGLES, DVD & VIDEO
1988 DIVING DUCK vinyl LP & cassette PT Records 1990 SLIDEDANCE CD & cassette Minidoka 1990 DIVING DUCK CD Minidoka 1990 HUMMINGBIRD CD single Minidoka 1993 RHYTHM OIL CD Minidoka 1995 MOONBEAT CD Appaloosa IRD 1996 NATIONAL AVENUE CD Scratch 1998 SLIDEDANCE re-release CD Koch UK 1998 RHYTHM OIL re-release CD Koch UK 2000 SLIDE GUITAR volume 1 Video/DVD
MM 2001 KING GUITAR CD Catfish 2002 SECOND MIND CD Catfish 2003 PLAY THE BLUES 3CD box-set Catfish 2006 LUCKY CHARMS CD Cooking Vinyl 2006 LUCKY CHARMS CD single Cooking Vinyl 2006 SECOND MIND re-release CD Cooking Vinyl 2006 KING GUITAR re-release CD Cooking Vinyl 2006 GUITAR MAESTROS DVD Sound Techniques 2006 INTRODUCTION TO BLUES SLIDE GUITAR DVD Euro Blues 2006 BRBF - SECOND MIND BAND DVD (limited edition) BRBF 2007 KING GUITAR CD Soyuz (Russia) 2007 SECOND MIND CD Soyuz (Russia) 2007 LUCKY CHARMS CD Soyuz (Russia)
Photograph by William White© 2001OTHER RECORDINGS, DVDS, FILMS & GUEST APPEARANCES
1984 slide guitar on five tracks
THE CONTINUOUS PREACHING BLUES
Ian Anderson & Mike CooperAppaloosa 1988 produced & played on
Ted Hawkins – I LOVE YOU TOO
re-released in 2001as NOWHERE TO RUNPT Records / Catfish 1989 co-produced three tracks
THE NEW SOUNDS OF S.E. ROGIE
(MM is not credited on album credits)Workers Playtime 1989 slide guitar/banjo
Frantic Flintstones (vinyl) NOT XMAS ALBUMLink 1995 one track BLUES TO BOP compilation CD Blues to Bop 1995 two tracks 'ULTIMATE SLIDE GUIDE' CD
Total Guitar 1996 seven tracks THE GUITAR library music CD Funtastik 1996 one track GET WEAVING compilation CD Weaving Records 1998 slide/Hawaiian guitar on four tracks
THE KENNET SHEIKSSheik Music 1998 production & guitar on three tracks
Ted Hawkins SUFFER NO MORERhino 1999 one track GIVE ME THE BLUES compilation CD
Valve 1999 one track BLUES TO BOP compilation CD
Blues to Bop 2000 guest slide/steel guitar Doug Cox - STAY LAZY
One track featuring Messer's electric slide playing COLD WHEN I'M DEAD can be heard in the Terry Gilliam film, TIDELANDRagged Pup 2001 one track - Ginni Hogarth -
BETWEEN THESE WALLSKano Music 2001 one track BLUES IN BRITAIN 2001 comp' CD Blues In Britain 2001 produced & played on Ted Hawkins -
NOWHERE TO RUN (re-release of I LOVE YOU TOO)Catfish 2001 two tracks GUITARIST 'PRECIOUS METAL'
Guitarist 2002 one track CATFISH RECORDS sampler CD Catfish 2003 slide/steel guitar on four tracks
Dave Peabody – SLIDE BY SLIDEAppaloosa 2004 one track CAUGHT IN THE NET compilation CD
Spyda 2004 one track
A HISTORY OF PROGRESSIVE BLUES vol' 1Proper 2005 one track
A HISTORY OF PROGRESSIVE BLUES vol' 2Proper 2005 guest appearance - interview & playing
GOURMET GUITARS vol' 1 DVDSushi Overdrive 2007 slide/lap-steel guitar & production
FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH - National DebtNo Tom 2007 one track PLAY magazine RUSSIA - Comp' CD Soyuz 2007 two tracks THE BEST OF THURDSDAY BLUES CD Woke up this mornin' BOOKS
1998 THE VIRGIN ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF THE BLUES
by Colin LarkinVirgin 2004 THE AMERICAN BLUES GUITAR
by Rick BateyHal Leonard If anyone knows of any other tracks on compilation albums,
or appearances in films, DVDs, videos or books, please let us know...thanks!WE WILL SOON BE ADDING TV & RADIO APPEARANCES TO THIS PAGE
Photograph by Alan Messer© 2001
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