Oli Brown Band – Saturday January 28, 2012

2011 BRITISH BLUES AWARDS

Winner: Best Band
Winner: Best Album (Heads I Win Tails You Lose) Runner Up: Best Male Vocalist Runner Up: Best Guitarist Runner Up: Best Young Artist

2010 BRITISH BLUES AWARDS

Best Male Vocalist
Best Young Artist

“Oli brings a freshness and excitement to every performance and is at the forefront of the UK’s new Blues movement.
PLANET ROCK RADIO

“Puts on a masterful show”
THE TIMES

“The hottest young pistol in British Blues”
MOJO

“One of the best and brightest guitar heroes performing in the world today”
CLASSIC ROCK

“A real talent and should have a great career”
JOE BONAMASSA

Late 2002 saw Oli pick up a guitar for the first time. Two and a half years later at age of 15 he was invited to America as the guest of American Blues band Blinddog Smokin’. This first trip saw Oli on the same stage as Buddy Guy and Taj Mahal.

In 2008 Oli was signed to the German Blues label, Ruf Records. Thomas Ruf flew into the UK to see Oli perform and signed him on the spot.

Oli’s debut album, OPEN ROAD, was recorded and released in 2008 and received great reviews across the UK and Europe. It was voted the No.
2 Blues album of 2008 by readers of Blues Matters! magazine and it still rides high in the Blues Charts.

The Oli Brown Band was the only UK act to be selected for the 2008 International Blues Convention in Memphis.

While in Memphis Oli was asked by John Fry (the owner of Ardent
Studios) to go in and record a live session for them – this session received 1.3 million hits in three weeks. (Ardent Studios have recorded and mixed albums for The White Stripes, Isaac Hayes, Led Zeppelin, R.E.M, The Raconteurs, Stevie Ray Vaughan, BB King…amongst many others.)

Vanquish Guitars became an endorsee of Oli and now produce the Oli Brown Signature guitar (made to the specific requirements that he wants on stage). Hofner, Blackstar, Kustom, Ernie Ball, Whirlwind, T-Rex and Shure all now support and endorse Oli Brown.

2010 saw Oli return to the studio with the legendary producer, Mike Vernon (Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, John Mayall, Freddie King, David Bowie etc). Mike came out of self imposed retirement to work with Oli after seeing and hearing him on various You Tube videos.

The Mike Vernon produced album, HEADS I WIN TAILS YOU LOSE, was released April 2010 in the UK, Europe and America. The press reception was fantastic -

“The hottest young pistol in British Blues” Mojo “A British Bluesman to rival Trucks and Bonamassa” Uncut “Brown’s fretwork really stuns” Classic Rock “His singing voice is compelling” Guitarist “The more you hear it the more you love it” Properganda
Mojo Magazine and Classic Rock voted HEADS I WIN TAILS YOU LOSE their No. 4 and No. 3 Blues album respectively of 2010.

This year Oli has been touring in the UK, Europe, New Zealand, Canada and America (with an appearance on American breakfast TV). October and November 2011 saw The Oli Brown Band on a major 25 date UK tour with the legendary John Mayall and at the end of the tour John Mayall invited Oli to be the lead guitarist in his band for the December 2011 Jakarta Blues Festival.

Oli is now writing and recording his third album, “Here I Am”
which is planned for release April 2012. The new album will coincide with Oli’s headline tour of the UK in April 2012 and Germany in May 2012.
“We want Oli back in New Zealand!” Dan Allen (Organiser G-Taranaki
Festival)
“A bona fide Blues sensation” Jamie Hailstone, R2 “Pinched out solos that drip with soul” Vintage Guitar “The Blues boy is now a Blues man” Carol Borrington, Blues Matters!
“East Anglian whiz kid not to be missed” Paul Jones BBC, Radio 2 “Blues prodigy set to shake the British scene out of its slumber”
Classic Rock
“More soulful and rhythmically creative than a Zulu war drummer”
Elmore