John Gregory, also known as Blue John, is a country blues guitarist and singer whose enthusiasm for the genre knows no bounds.
Described as an ‘excellent’ and ‘outstanding’ guitar player by his peers (see the testimonials page), he likes nothing more than playing this wonderful timeless style of music – and most importantly promoting and giving credit to the many great African American musicians who created and developed it.
Always at home on the stage, John combines his passion of the music with a warm and friendly personality and has performed across his native British Isles as well as performing in the US. In April 2018 he travelled to Chicago to play Big Bill Broonzy’s 1946 Martin 00028 guitar at the Old Town School of Folk Music.
John has been fortunate to work with some of the true greats of the acoustic/roots/blues music world.
In 2019 he toured the British Isles with the Erin Harpe Country Blues Duo from Boston, USA and then later toured the British Isles again with Toby Walker from New Jersey, USA. John organised the tours through his business Blue John Media and opened the vast majority of the shows.
In 2017 he toured the British Isles with Ari Eisinger, from Philadelphia, USA, again organising the tour. He was the opening act on all the dates, performing alongside his good friend Dr Philip Ratcliffe, AKA Dr Phil, Mississippi John Hurt’s biographer. John and Phil have played several shows together.
He has also performed onstage with one of the world’s greatest slide guitarists, Michael Messer, opened shows for fingerstyle guitar legend Duck Baker, supported his musical heroes John Miller and Grant Dermody from Washington State, USA, as well as the incredible blues duo Joe Filisko and Erin Noden from Chicago and Catfish Keith from Iowa.
John has also opened for the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Nine Below Zero, jazz guitar legend Martin Taylor, Tony Furtado, the Whiskey Dogs, the Growling Old Men, Brother Mule, Gordie MacKeeman and his Rhythm Boys and Marcus Bonfanti, frontman of Ten Years After.
At some of these concerts John has performed alongside his blues duo partner Tim Cass. Together they are known as Blue John and Papa Cass and have been playing as a duo for well over a decade. John also teaches guitar and has organised many concerts featuring his favourite guitarists.
To book John email bluejohnmedia@hotmail.co.uk
*John also runs the Country Blues Crusader pages on Facebook and Instagram to promote country blues music.*