Artist information. Reviews of resonator instruments. Michael Messer National guitar strings. UK Acoustic Blues Artist of the Year. Michael Messer album releases. Links to many related sites.
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king guitar michael messer
The highly acclaimed album on Catfish Records
LIVING BLUES chart -May 2001
Based on US radio airplays
TOP FIVE ALBUMS
1 – Michael Messer – King Guitar – Catfish
2 – Buddy Guy – Sweet Tea – Silvertone
3 – Robert Cray – Shoulda’ Been Home – Rykodisc
4 – Deborah Coleman – Livin’ On Love – Blind Pig
5 – Bill Perry – Fire It Up – Blind Pig
Review quotes & press-cuttings
Michael Messer is an unavoidable force in modern blues. His recent Catfish release, King Guitar, is a product of magical intensity and will. If Albert Collins’ Ice Pickin’ reacquainted the world with the blues in the 1970’s, then King Guitar has met a new century with style, grace, and a new, colorful direction for the music.
Alan Jones – All About Jazz – November 2001
"….and the inventive slide-guitar stylings of Michael Messer, who gives Sonny Landreth a marathon for his money on King Guitar"
Tony Russell – MOJO magazine – May 2001
"Michael Messer’s poignant Drivin’ Wheel Blues Part One is equalled only by Part Two, and while his playing, with its echoes of Blind Willie Johnson, is always spot on, it’s Messer’s vocals which are the real revelation: heartfelt and pained, full of trial and struggle just like the best blues. If he were American he’d be right behind Eric Bibb & Alvin Youngblood Heart in the hipness sweepstakes."
Sid Griffin – Q magazine – May 2001
"It’s best of the best time as the UK’s premier National & slide guitarist releases a collection of his greatest songs to date. Messer’s charisma stems just as much from the swing and life – and sometimes downright weirdness- he injects into his playing and songs as from his unsurpassable technical skills.
The title track, King Guitar, lists many of the greats of the instrument that we all love, but he’s far too modest to put himself amongst them – his only oversight".
The Guitar Magazine – March 2001
"The title track, King Guitar, for example, written by Messer’s song-writing partner Terry Clarke, is a Brit slice of modern John Hiatt/Bonnie Raitt, punctuated with vibrant and juicy electric slide."
Dave Burrluck – Guitarist magazine – May 2001
"Michael Messer has been around the British music scene for a while and has several more or less obscure albums behind him. King Guitar however could raise his profile sharply if enough people hear it. The album is an assured blend of blues, country and original material, in a diverse range of settings, featuring the steel guitar. Styles range from the back-country acoustic slide of "Rollin ‘n’ Tumblin’" and his own haunting "Crow Blues", to the thick river-silt texture of "Rising Sun Blues" and the title track, where he sounds like a more focused Sonny Landreth. Though clearly captivated by the sounds of slide and bottleneck guitar blues, Messer is not in thrall to original recordings, and he looks at genre standards from new angles: "Right Hand Road", a rerouting of "Brownsville Blues", opens on primeval chanting and percussion, while "Diving Duck" winds its way to a Zairian guitar coda. There’s enough skill and imagination on display here to fire half-a-dozen albums."Tony Russell – Amazon.co.uk – June 2001
“What I hear here is the real thing. Bare-bones blues gut-bucket rural rock." Johnny Cash – Nashville TN
"We couldn’t help but turn up the stereo, not wanting to miss a single note of some of the best slide guitar we’ve heard in years. This is a CD you’ll be playing over and over. The title track "King Guitar" pays homage to likes of Tampa Red, Lonnie Mack, Jimmy Vaughn and Johnny Winter, the rest of the CD proves Messer’s name deserves to be added to that list. This album should be a strong contender for the blues album of the year & is a must buy for any music lover."
Nathan Face & Steam – Blues4u.com – May 2001
"You can almost hear the devilish grin in Messer’s lighthearted vocals as he demonstrates his lauded talents on the steel guitar. This affable affair is spirited and lively; it’ll be stuck in your head long after the train has left the station."
Deborah Russell – MUSICBLITZ.com – April 2001
"This album ( King Guitar ) contains so many variations that to review each track would take too many columns here. Suffice to say that this is a terrific collection of material. Michael is a master of styles and this CD is a joy to hear. It gets better every time you listen to it as you will always hear something you missed last time and say to yourself – wow that’s different!
" Alan Pearce – Blues Matters! – March 2001
"Rising Sun Blues" is arranged for just voice and electric guitar, and it is a tour de force of the best kind. Messer’s chordal work is spine-tingling, and, in his single lines, he worries single notes until every last bit of nuance is wrung out of them."
Joe Milazzo – All About Jazz – May 2001
"Michael Messer’s acoustic work is his most special. He approaches Roy Acuff’s "Steel Guitar Blues" almost from the perspective of the first bottleneck guitar players like Casey Bill Weldon and Kokomo Arnold. The sense of melancholy this brings to this old showcase piece is both entirely traditional and utterly fresh. "Moonbeat" is a classic blues tale of love in vain that evokes Bukka White’s "Sky Songs" in its metaphors; Messer’s guitar sounds limpid, cloudy at first, slowly becoming more and more penetrating, like the chill of the night about which he’s singing."
Joe Milazzo – All About Jazz – May 2001
"His interpretation of Furry Lewis’ ‘Right Hand Road’, is one of the most unusual that I have ever heard. He has a very personal, often delicate, slide touch & his vocals throughout are sincere & honest. I am certain King Guitar will have a wide appeal"
Bob Tilling – Blues & Rhythm – June 2001
"Always good to hear musicians who haven’t played themselves into a corner,plus…he’s an outstanding acoustic slide player."
CJ Holley – Get Rhythm – May 2001
"Every once in a while a disc falls into the mailbox that practically leaves a writer speechless. Michael Messer, Britain’s resident slide guitar wizard, if there ever was one, travels a path that almost defies description. Make no mistake, blues is at the core of this 70-plus minute ride of absolutely stunning bottleneck styles. This excellent disc deserves a wide audience."
Craig Ruskey – Blues On Stage / Blues Access – June 2001
" There’s something fun and catchy about Michael Messer’s eclectic album, King Guitar. His acoustic slide guitar is the epitome of taste on the lovely "Crow Blues" and the happy, upbeat "Steel Guitar Blues." The twists and turns of King Guitar keep the listener alert, wondering what interesting arrangement will show up on the next cut. For blues fans looking for an eclectic touch, King Guitar delivers and then some."
Ronnie D Lankgford Jr – All Music. com
The American debut album for England’s Michael Messer is a masterful
achievement combining his love of American pre-war Delta blues, Chicago stylings, and his love of folk and world beats. "Not one to miss out on, Messer’s work is innovative while clinging to tradition. His outlook takes unique musical turns incorporating all of the musical forms that have touched his soul or turned his heart throughout his lifetime. Hear his love of pre-war players, his penchant for combining electric blues, his aching for country and world spirituality in music, and his timely production skills in one fell swoop with this biscuit. Messer has climbed to new musical heights with this release, King Guitar."
Mark A Cole – Big City Blues – June 2001
“Mr. Messer’s arrangement of "Diving Duck" is one of the best I’ve heard!” Ken Bays – Blues Revue – May 2001
"He’s one of England’s most respected slide guitarists, yet Michael Messer is all but unknown in the States. If there’s any justice, that will change with the release of his first album with U.S. distribution, King Guitar. "Drivin’ Wheel Blues Part 1" is a full-band slow-burn that builds in intensity as Messer sings wryly about not being able to sound like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf "or even Bruce Springsteen." Blues Revue – From the Blues Revue website – June 2001
This U. S. release of King Guitar promises to take care of Messer’s anonymity problem. The slide work throughout King Guitar is as refined as it is raw. "Robert Johnson’s Wake" follows blues back to its tribal roots.
Brian Beatty – Blues Revue – September 2001
"Here is a rarity for all the blues purists and music collectors: an English musician mastering the art of Mississippi Delta-style acoustic slide guitar. The CD, King Guitar, is a collection of seventeen foot stomping Delta boogie blues. These Hypnotic grooves will make you think you are at a late night, front porch jam session in the Delta, passing around a jug of white lightning. From there Messer ‘slides’ into songs that may remind you of the sounds the fathers of Delta blues had……..honest, raw, unproduced. It is easy to see why Michael Messer was voted ‘Acoustic Blues Artist of the Year’ at the British Blues Awards. Wonder if he’s ever been to Mississippi…?"
Texas Blues magazine – June 2001
"Throughout the album there are some very, very imaginative arrangements….make sure you give this set a listen – then buy it." – Rating – 9. Norman Darwen – Blueprint – April 2001
He’s one hell of a slide player!”
Bill Wilson – Billtown Blue Notes, Williamsport, PA – May 2001
“Thanks for sending along Michael Messer’s new release. I thoroughly enjoyed the disc and Michael’s wonderful mastery of the slide guitar. My guess is if it has strings, Michael can bend them. Great stuff. I will be getting some of the tunes on the air on my show.”
Larry Lisk -"Blues Lover" WMNF 88.5 FM, Tampa, Florida – May 2001
“I just got the new Michael Messer release "King Guitar." After listening to it once, I became an instant fan. The CD has been added to my playlist and I did a feature on it this morning on my blues show.”
Jim Vergeldt – WXOU 88.3 FM, Rochester, Michigan – May 2001
"Although it was the Brits who kick-started the U.S. blues revival of the 1960s, British blues players have almost always been also-rans. Players like Rory Gallagher and Peter Green may have pioneered blues rock, but traditional blues was the music of black Americans. On the other hand, real blues was the music of a time and that time is no longer, so the vast majority of current blues records are exercises in futility. With that bit of baggage, British slide ace Michael Messer has fashioned a record that draws on the real deal but puts it into a rather unique setting, no small feat……But its snippets like the 30-second, African-styled "Right Hand Road" that hint at what might be Messer’s most interesting side. There’s no shortage of players on either side of the pond who can whip up and down a guitar string, but finding one with taste is another matter entirely." ( rating 90 ) Michael Lipton – Launch.com – June 2001
"Michael Messer is King Guitar – from string bending electric, cool, urban blues,through red-blooded funk…..to the best National Steel slide guitar this side of the big pond. The blues is a genus of music generally best experienced ‘live’. King Guitar is an exception – from a musician’s musician. It’s an absolute essential for lovers of blues and guitar gods! Superb!
Sue Cavendish – NetRhythms – July 2001
Michael Messer is an addict, an addict of the slide guitar. What the Englishman can do with his National Steel is without any comparison. Messer is a master of every style, from pre-war & post-war blues to the Delta and Chicago. Furthermore he shows an intensity that is seldom found. Without any doubt, Messer becomes absorbed in this instrument and he is able to make it sound human. From the Delta to Hawaii, from country to native American influences, from South Africa to Zydeco and Voodoo…. as in "Drivin´ Wheel Blues".
Dietmar Hoscher – Concerto Magazine – November 2001
What do you think of when you hear the names J.B. Hutto, Dave Hole and Sonny Landreth, great slide guitar players? Now you can add another name to that list, Michael Messier. Fans in the UK have recognized Messer as one the world’s great National Steel players for well over a decade, now with the release of "King Guitar, Messer should break through in the North American market. Composed of 17 superb tracks including 10 original compositions, the album showcases Messer’s blues recordings and interpretations leaving no doubt as to why he merits an entry in the Virgin Encyclopedia of the Blues. Messer combines elements of Hawaiian slide guitar, Delta and Chicago blues with gritty, heartfelt vocals to create an all around great album for any music lover. I couldn’t help but turn up the stereo up, not wanting to miss a single note of some of the best slide guitar I’ve heard in years. This is a CD you’ll be playing over and over and should be a strong contender for the Blues album of the year and a must buy for any music lover.
Best Blues Release of the Year: Blues4U from Ottawa, Canada
I just picked up this album having read the interview with Michael in the blues section of Amazon web site. I was blown away by it. Michael Messer is one of the best guitarists ever to have come out of the UK, no question. He’s made an album which draws on traditional blues whilst pulling in a wide variety of other styles and blending it all together seamlessly. His sound is fresh, and as for his guitar work it’s inventive and unique. I am delighted I bought it and can’t wait to hear what this guy puts together for his next outing, I’d wholeheartedly recommend it. One of the finest slide men I’ve ever heard…31 October, 2001 Reviewer:
A music fan from London – Amazon.co.uk customer review
Michael Messer Band was next on stage with a heavier sound but this genius of slide guitar also played homage to blues roots. By using his mastery of many different slide guitar styles and amalgamating them he produces a great new sound, backed by a very able band. Most of the songs were from his new album with Catfish records "King Guitar" which is a collection, that really shows what the man can do. Hugh Beverton – Maryport Festival 2001
Michael Messer – Biography
Virtuoso slide guitarist Michael Messer has seen his profile sharply in the ascent since his King Guitar album was released on Catfish Records in March 2001.
The album has been widely acclaimed and 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”.Being English with an international reputation for blues slide guitar is a rarity in itself, but Messer’s obsessive appetite for knowledge of the art is
virtually unequalled. By harnessing elements of the American blues, from pre-war Mississippi Delta styles to post-war Chicago sounds, and
blending them with contemporary influences, with slide guitar as the common link, Messer creates music which is highly individual, original and universally accessible.Voted ‘Acoustic Blues Artist Of The Year’ at the British Blues Awards, Michael has an outstanding reputation amongst musicians and generally people regarded to be ‘in the know’, without ever having had the proper support necessary to introduce his music a wider audience, until he signed to Catfish ecords & released the highly acclaimed album, King Guitar, in 2001.
As well as being an accolade to his world class acoustic blues playing, the British Blues Award was also an endorsement for his capacity toincorporate styles other than blues into his music. Ideas borrowed from Hawaiian slide guitar, reggae, jazz and King Sunny Ade’s worldbeat sound all illuminate his playing. The latter style was particularly evident on the breakthrough album that won him his initial strong notices, Slidedance,released in 1990. The same description could equally apply to his 1993 collaboration with Terry Clarke and Lubbock, Texas guitarist, Jesse Taylor,entitled Rhythm Oil. The tour that accompanied its release saw Messer experiment further with musical elements including house and reggae, with a
version of Fred McDowell’s ‘Worried Life’ offering "an outstanding distillation of blues and contemporary music"…( Virgin encyclopaedia of the Blues ).Indeed Michael shares the rare honour of having had no less than the legendary Johnny Cash pen the sleeve notes for this critically acclaimed but fairly well kept secret album, Rhythm Oil.
Newtone 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.
1995 saw the release of Moonbeat, co-produced by ‘roots’ king Ron Kavana. For this album Messer took his unique style of blending blues and worldbeat sounds even further, with Kavana’s ‘back-woods’ production style and seven songs written by Messer’s long-time friend and collaborator Terry Clarke, Moonbeat is an unusual and very original album.
National Avenue, released in 1997 saw a return to the Mississippi delta blues influences that started Messer playing slide guitar. Ten of the songs were written and co-written with Terry Clarke.
Michael Messer is one of the finest slide guitarists and blues music innovators that Britain has ever produced.
Time Out – London
In May 2001 King Guitar reached number one in the American " Living Blues" chart. Michael has spent most of this year playing festivals and concerts promoting the album and is currently working on a new album for Catfish Records to be released in May 2002.
Michael Messer’s significance as a blues artist is confirmed by his inclusion in "The Virgin Encyclopaedia of the Blues" by Colin Larkin. Messer’s name appears alongside many of the blues ‘greats’ who influenced his playing.
As well as his own music, Messer has produced albums by the legendary Venice Beach singer, Ted Hawkins, and the undisputed King of Palm Wine guitar, S.E.Rogie.
I need (pack it up )complete guitar archive & (I’m loser) organ & guitar tabs archive ,please.(UFO songs)