This is Song 3 from my album WE'RE GETTING CLOSER TO THE SUN. Our main character is a celebrity astronaut (much like David Bowie’s Major Tom), letting go of personal dramas and traumas while conversing with his wife. Like most of the songs on this album, the lyrics are written from a 12-Step Recovery dynamic while our astronaut prepares to rocket off into a universe that blurs the material with the spiritual—where astronauts meet angels. The spaceship cruise means exploring a timeless outer space and a healing inner space. In making this recording I was joined by drummer Mick Berry and my soulmate Robin Mackey on harmony vocals (mixing by Chris von Sneidern at Tape Vault Studio in San Francisco). Musically I was inspired by the electric piano style of the late, great Ian McLagan, and the production ended up sounding like ELO and glam rock. https://johnnyjblairsingeratlarge.bandcamp.com/track/letting-go 

#johnnyjblair #singersongwriter #singeratlarge #davidbowie #majortom #astronaut #angel #universe #spaceship #mickberry #robinmackey #chrisvonsneidern #tapevaultstudio #sanfrancisco #scifi #faith #ianmclagan #smallfaces #ELO #glamrock #electriclightorchestra

Letting Go

“Johnny is a virtuoso…” –Brian Wilson
“A delightful entertainer…” earcandy.com
“Pop music with a conscience…” Goldmine magazine
“The Harry Houdini of rock’n’roll” Spotlight magazine

Entertainer, songwriter, and “Singer at Large” Johnny J. Blair is known for his brand of “pop music with a twist,” influenced by Americana, British Invasion rock, old school soul/r’n’b, psychedelia, and punk/new wave, with melodicism breathed by classical, gospel, jazz, and world music. 

As a solo acoustic act or when fronting a band, Johnny engages an audience. He was called “a white James Brown” by Brown’s legendary drummer, Clyde Stubblefield. Johnny’s current itinerary includes performing in assisted living homes for people with disabilities and dementia: “Music goes through the brain into places where math and language don’t reach. It heals, and it makes a difference.”

Since the 80s, Johnny has issued full-length recordings to a global audience— from the “new wave concept album” DOOR IN THE WATER, to the soulful masterwork FIRE, to the bare-knuckled acoustic “agitpop” of TREADMARKS, to the “Ziggy Stardust meets PET SOUNDS” of GRATEFUL to the glam-tango tinged masterwork I LIKE THE STREET (with musical support from The Badlees, Eric Biondo/Beyondo, and Mike Garson, David Bowie’s pianist).

Johnny has worked with a range of acts—most prominently with Davy Jones of The Monkees (“I learned valuable stagecraft from David”). Johnny played and worked with Jones for 20 years, and he was the touring bassist/vocalist with The Monkees 45th Anniversary Tour of the UK and USA. Other artists Johnny has played with are John Bechdel (Ministry), David Cassidy, Buddy & Julie Miller, and Al Stewart (“Year of the Cat”). 

For 2019, Johnny on the beat with fresh material and a new album in the works, WE’RE GETTING CLOSER TO THE SUN. He says, “I’ve played the Royal Albert Hall, CBGB’s, Disney, The Fillmore, Las Vegas, Mabuhay Gardens, the Tokyo Billboard, holy temples in India, desert islands, Caribbean cruise ships, churches, prisons, garages, biker bars, and picnics, but I’ll really hit it big when I play for you!”

New tracks tagged #mickberry #robinmackey