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Port Townsend Leader: Maxwell Proves it’s Never Too Late…
While some aspiring artists have to moonlight as waiters or bussers to make do until their big break, one blues guitarist waited an entire career’s lifespan of bus driving before he could pursue his passion for music. John “Greyhound” Maxwell got hi...
Interview in the UK magazine Blues Matters Aug/Sept 2016 issue
Billy Hutchinson gave me a great write up in the September ’16 issue of Blues Matters Magazine. Read the article below or view the PDF in a new tab. [pdf-embedder url=”https://slowlyiturnmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/BM91_Interview_JohnMaxw...
Blues for Evangeline
What People Are SayingAbout John
“He plays with very good fluidity and taste, and some nice slide. His vocals are pleasantly lacking in fake black-isms that are the bane of ‘white bluesmen’. Even better, he sings the meaning of the words and understands that the story of the lyrics is vital”.
– Bruce Iglauer – Alligator Records
“John Greyhound Maxwell (is) a particularly refined and eloquent slide and fingerpicking roots and blues guitarist and singer/songwriter.
– Frank Matheis – Countryblues.com
“Laid back elegance and a sort off off-hand virtuosity. Very smooth and mellow.”
– Paul Rishell – W.C. Handy Award Winner
“John the finest bottleneck slide player I’ve heard in a long time.”
– David Lindley
You have to play for a long time before you sound like your self
Calendar
2018
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Wed24Jan2018
John "Greyhound" Maxwell's Acoustic Juke w/Jon Parry & Guy Quintino
8 to 11pmHighway 99 Blues Club
1414 Alaskan Way
Seattle, Wa
highwayninetynine.com
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Sat10Feb2018
John "Greyhound" Maxwell w/Jon Parry & Guy Quintino
8 to 11pmCellar Door
940 Water St
Port Townsend, Wa
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Wed21Feb2018
John "Greyhound" Maxwell and Jon Parry
5 to 7pmThe Old Alcohol Plant
310 Hadlock Bay Road
Port Hadlock, Wa.
Dinner, drinks and some fine acoustic blues! -
Wed28Feb2018
John "Greyhound" Maxwell's Acoustic Juke w/Jon Parry & Guy Quintino
8 to 11pmHighway 99 Blues Club
1414 Alaskan Way
Seattle, Wa
highwayninetynine.com
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Wed21Mar2018
John "Greyhound" Maxwell and Jon Parry
5 to 7pmOld Alcohol Plant
Port Hadlock, Wa.
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Wed28Mar2018
John "Greyhound" Maxwell's Acoustic Juke w/Jon Parry & Guy Quintino
8 to 11pmHighway 99 Blues Club
1414 Alaskan Way
Seattle, Wa
highwayninetynine.com
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Fri13Apr2018Sat14Apr2018
John "Greyhound" Maxwell opens for Albert Cummings
7pmSmith Center for the Performing Arts
Las Vegas,NV.
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Wed18Apr2018
John "Greyhound" Maxwell and Jon Parry
5 to 7pmOld Alcohol Plant
Port Hadlock, Wa.
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Wed25Apr2018
John "Greyhound" Maxwell's Acoustic Juke w/Jon Parry & Guy Quintino
8 to 11pmHighway 99 Blues Club
1414 Alaskan Way
Seattle, Wa
highwayninetynine.com
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Wed16May2018
John "Greyhound" Maxwell and Jon Parry
5 to 7pmOld Alcohol Plant
Port Hadlock, Wa.
-
Wed23May2018
John "Greyhound" Maxwell's Acoustic Juke w/Jon Parry & Guy Quintino
8 to 11pmHighway 99 Blues Club
1414 Alaskan Way
Seattle, Wa
highwayninetynine.com
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Sat26May2018
John "Greyhound" Maxwell and Jon Parry
8 to 11pmCellar Door
940 Water St.
Port Townsend Wa
John (#2) and Jon (#1) will be joined by harp master Sean Divine and the fine upright bassist James Birkenshaw for a fun evening of pre-war acoustic blues.
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Wed20Jun2018
John "Greyhound" Maxwell and Jon Parry
5 to 7pmOld Alcohol Plant
Port Hadlock, Wa.
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Sat23Jun2018
John "Greyhound" Maxwell and Jon Parry
TBAOld Alcohol Plant
Port Hadlock, Wa.
Benefit FestivalDetails soon
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Wed27Jun2018
John "Greyhound" Maxwell's Acoustic Juke w/Jon Parry & Guy Quintino
8 to 11pmHighway 99 Blues Club
1414 Alaskan Way
Seattle, Wa
highwayninetynine.com
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Sun29Jul2018
Wine Country Blues Festival w/Taj Mahal and KebMo!!
3pmWoodinville, Wa.
Opening for Taj Mahal and KebMo!!
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Sat11Aug2018
Private party
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Thu16Aug2018
John "Greyhound" Maxwell and Jon Parry
5 to 7pmThe Old Alcohol Plant
310 Hadlock Bay Road
Port Hadlock, Wa.
Dinner, drinks and some fine acoustic blues! -
Wed22Aug2018
John “Greyhound” Maxwell's Acoustic Juke
8 to 11pmHighway 99 Blues Club
1414 Alaskan Way
Seattle, Wa
Featuring Jon Parry, Guy Quintino, Sean Divine and special guest Will Morgan
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Mon03Sep2018
John "Greyhound" Maxwell and Jon Parry
1:30 to 3pmThe Old Alcohol Plant
310 Hadlock Bay Road
Port Hadlock, Wa.
Dinner, drinks and some fine acoustic blues! -
Wed19Sep2018
John "Greyhound" Maxwell and Jon Parry
5 to 7pmThe Old Alcohol Plant
310 Hadlock Bay Road
Port Hadlock, Wa.
Dinner, drinks and some fine acoustic blues! -
Thu27Sep2018
John “Greyhound” Maxwell's Acoustic Juke
8 to 11pmHighway 99 Blues Club
1414 Alaskan Way
Seattle, Wa
Featuring Jon Parry, Guy Quintino, Sean Divine and special guest
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Fri12Oct2018
Even Good Dogs Get the Blues CD Release
7:30pm Rain Shadow Recording Fort Worden Port Townsend, Wa
The official release party for John’s brand new CD, “Even Good Dogs Get the Blues” with special guests!
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Wed17Oct2018
John "Greyhound" Maxwell and Jon Parry
5 to 7pmThe Old Alcohol Plant
310 Hadlock Bay Road
Port Hadlock, Wa.
Dinner, drinks and some fine acoustic blues! -
Wed24Oct2018
John “Greyhound” Maxwell's Acoustic Juke
8 to 11pmHighway 99 Blues Club
1414 Alaskan Way
Seattle, Wa
This month fearturing the Jelly Rollers!
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Sat17Nov2018
Coco Montoya and John “Greyhound” Maxwell
7pm Byrnes Performing Arts Center 18821 Crown Ridge Blvd Arlington, Wa -
Wed21Nov2018
John "Greyhound" Maxwell and Jon Parry
5 to 7pmThe Old Alcohol Plant
310 Hadlock Bay Road
Port Hadlock, Wa.
Dinner, drinks and some fine acoustic blues! -
Wed28Nov2018
John “Greyhound” Maxwell's Acoustic Juke
8 to 11pmHighway 99 Blues Club
1414 Alaskan Way
Seattle, Wa
Featuring Jon Parry, Guy Quintino, Sean Divine and special guest
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Wed19Dec2018
John Greyhound Maxwell & Jon Parry
5 to 7pm The Old Alcohol Plant 310 Hadlock Bay Rd Port Hadlock, Wa.
Biography
John “Greyhound” Maxwell brings his singular approach to slide guitar and mandolin, paying homage to the craft and tradition of the masters, while infusing the music with fresh energy. David Lindley is quoted as saying, “John is the finest bottleneck slide player I’ve heard in a long time.”
With an approach that is authentic and understated, Maxwell plays with the warmth and dexterity of someone who has loved the blues over a lifetime. Indeed, his education began as a teenager after seeing B.B. King play a set in Chicago in 1971. At Chicago’s historic Old Town School of Folk Music he took lessons from a young Johnny Long, himself a student of Homesick James. When Maxwell left for college in St. Louis, he originally studied classical, but grew restless and eventually fronted a blues trio.
He counts himself lucky enough to have mingled with blues legends Tommy Bankhead and Henry Townsend, with whom he later shared the stage and formed a friendship. He’s been drawn to slide since the beginning. “It increases that conversational aspect between the instrument and the voice,” he says.
That lineage is evident in the conversations he’s still having. In his capable hands, classics are given a deep bow and a quick wink, at once subtle and surprising. Likewise, his originals feel familiar to the genre, at home on a back-roads front porch or a downtown speakeasy.
His style is grounded and focused yet delivered with an ease and a lightness. He says the nice thing about getting older is, “Whatever you do, if you’ve been doing for most of your life, you reach a proficiency level that’s really enjoyable.” That comfort and skill is obvious whether he’s playing with a full band, as a duo, or just his caramel smooth voice and his silver Dobro. One gets the feeling he’d be equally at home with a symphony or a jug band.
In fact, he’s travelled the country, playing bluegrass in Tulsa and punk-rock in Hollywood, with forays into jazz, folk and rock and roll. No matter the genre, he always found himself coming back to the blues. He explains that his interpretation is not about a specific chord pattern or scale, but rather the emotion behind it. “I think that helps cross physical and cultural borders,” he says.
Now, having rounded the corner of 60, Maxwell is a master of his craft, garnering the admiration of his contemporaries. His recording, Blues for Evangeline, made the top five in the Best Self-Produced CD competition at the 2016 Memphis International Blues Challenge. In 2017, he had a song placed in a film at the Sundance Festival, and he taught at the prestigious Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Festival in Washington state, where he now resides.
The Washington Blues Society recently nominated John “Greyhound” Maxwell for best solo artist in 2023. He previously was the 2018 award recipient for Best Acoustic Blues Guitar. His second self produced CD, “Even Good Dogs Get the Blues”, represented the WBS at the 2018 International Blues Challenge. “It’s really exciting,” he says. “I feel like I’m finally coming into my own.” In past years Maxwell has recently shared the stage with well-known blues greats, opening shows for Ruthie Foster, Sonny Landreth, Keb’Mo and Taj Mahal.
“Back when I was 16 or 17, I would tell myself I wanted to have a successful music career, and it was okay if it happened at 60, as long as it happened.” He laughs softly. “I think I set my course there.”
get me six crap shooting pallbearers. get a chorus girl to sing me a song.
Contact Me
Send a Message
Booking agent
Brad Stewart
Dynamic Artists Management, LLC
517-715-6555
info@dynamicartists.com
www.dynamicartists.com
Social Links
Artist Credits
