Mitchell Thomas Laddie (born 24 September 1990) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

guitarist, vocalist, songwriter, producer and tutor from

Consett Consett is a town in County Durham, England, about south-west of Newcastle upon Tyne. It had a population of 27,394 in 2001 and an estimate of 25,812 in 2019. History Consett sits high on the edge of the Pennines. Its' name originates in the ...

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

. He was born in

Shotley Bridge Shotley Bridge is a village, adjoining the town of Consett in County Durham, England. It is on the A694 road and beside the River Derwent which is crossed by the bridge giving the name. It was once the heart of Britain's swordmaking industry. ...

, and raised in

Ebchester Ebchester is a village in County Durham, England. It is situated to the north of Consett and to the south east of Whittonstall. The village sits at the intersection of the A694, which runs from Consett to Swalwell, and the B6309, which connects ...

. ''

Blues & Soul ''Blues & Soul'' is a British music magazine, established in 1967 by John Abbey. ''The Independent'' has noted ''Blues & Soul'' as being the equal of magazines such as ''NME'' and '' Q''. ''Billboard'' magazine has called ''Blues & Soul'' "a r ...

'' has described Laddie as "the most exciting young blues player of the current bunch and probably the only serious prospect for major global success this country has produced in several decades". His 2012 full-length album ''Burning Bridges'' also won ''Blues & Soul's'' "Album Of The Year".

Early life

Mitchell Thomas Laddie was born on 24 September 1990 in Shotley Bridge, County Durham, England, and grew up in Ebchester, County Durham. He is of

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

descent. Influenced by his Grandfather's love of music and his parents' record collection, which heavily included

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

and

prog rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Initi ...

, Laddie was drawn to music from an early age. Growing up in a house full of guitars, he became fascinated with the instrument and often picked up and played with his Father's

Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuously ...

. At the age of five, he discovered

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

music and was later influenced by artists such as

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

and

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

. After a sporting injury at the age of 13, Laddie was hospitalised for several months. It was during this time he began playing guitar seriously, influenced by the likes of

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

and Dave Gilmour. Upon discovering

Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Although his mainstream career spanned only seven years, ...

his love of Blues music was rekindled, leading to heavy influence from

Albert King Albert Nelson (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), known by his stage name Albert King, was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps b ...

BB King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...

Walter Trout Walter Trout (born March 6, 1951 in Ocean City, New Jersey, United States) is an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Biography Trout's career began on the Jersey coast scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s. He then decided to relo ...

and Vaughan. He formed his first band, Vanilla Moon at the age of 14 with school friends. During his mid-teens, Laddie's influences began to expand into Jazz, Soul, Funk and Fusion, from artists such as

Kenny Burrell Kenneth Earl Burrell (born July 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist known for his work on numerous top jazz labels: Prestige, Blue Note, Verve, CTI, Muse, and Concord. His collaborations with Jimmy Smith were notable, and produced the 1965 ...

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

D'Angelo Michael Eugene Archer (born February 11, 1974), better known by his stage name D'Angelo (), is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He first garnered attention after co-producing the single "U Will Know" ...

Eric Johnson Eric Johnson may refer to: Music *Eric Johnson (guitarist) (born 1954) an American guitarist and recording artist * Eric D. Johnson (born 1976), member of multiple indie-rock bands including Fruit Bats, The Shins and Califone Politics * Eric Joh ...

and

Robben Ford Robben Lee Ford (born December 16, 1951) is an American blues, jazz, and rock guitarist. He was a member of the L.A. Express and Yellowjackets and has collaborated with Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, George Harrison, Larry Carlton, Rick Springfield ...

Career

Early career - ''This Time Around'' (2006-2010)

Laddie met Blues guitarist and idol Walter Trout at the age of 15, and was asked to join the guitarist on stage the following year. This led to further appearances around the UK and in the Netherlands. It was during a performance with Trout at the

Paradiso (Amsterdam) Paradiso is a Dutch music venue and cultural centre located in Amsterdam. History It is housed in a converted former church building that dates from the nineteenth century and that was used until 1965 as the meeting hall for a liberal Dutch ...

that landed him his first recording contract with

Provogue Records Provogue Records is a European record label and part of the Mascot Label Group. Founded by Jan Van Der Linden in the early 1990s, the label specializes in Rock music, rock and blues. Its catalog includes Gary Moore, Joe Bonamassa, Beth Hart, Eric ...

at the age of 17. Laddie's debut album ''This Time Around'' was recorded in 2009, produced by Laddie and released in 2010 on

Mascot Label Group Mascot Label Group is an independently-owned record label. Founded in 1989 in The Netherlands under the name Mascot Records, the company was renamed Mascot-Provogue in 1999 and since 2010 has been known as the Mascot Label Group. The company is ba ...

, gaining positive critical response from

Classic Rock Magazine ''Classic Rock'' is a British magazine and website dedicated to rock music, owned and published by Future. It was launched in October 1998 and is based in London. The magazine publishes 13 editions a year, mainly covering rock bands from the 60, ...

and receiving airplay on various radio stations, including

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

. The album was promoted with a UK and European tour with

Band & UK tour with fellow

Provogue Provogue is an Indian clothing and accessories retailer based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was launched in 1997 as a menswear fashion brand for contemporary clothing. Over the years the brand has expanded its collection of men’s and women’s ...

artist

Scott McKeon Scott McKeon is a British blues rock guitarist, songwriter, singer, and music tutor. He has issued four albums under his name, and worked as a session musician both in the recording studio and in live concert appearances. He is currently the guit ...

''Burning Bridges'' (2011-2013)

Laddie later moved to UK-based Mystic Records, and his follow-up album ''Burning Bridges'' was recorded in 2011 and released in 2012, again produced by Laddie. The album was received to critical acclaim, gaining heavy press coverage from

R2 (Rock'n'Reel) ''R2'' is a music magazine published bi-monthly in the United Kingdom. It was launched in 1988 as ''Rock'n'Reel'', changing its name to ''R2'' in early 2009. Content The original ''Rock’n’Reel'' was a pocket-sized fanzine of modest ambitions ...

& Blues Matters! as well as coverage on various radio stations. Laddie also recorded a live session at

Maida Vale Maida Vale ( ) is an affluent residential district consisting of the northern part of Paddington in West London, west of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn. It is also the name of its main road, on the continuous Edgware Road. Maida Vale is p ...

for

. The album was later voted joint Album of the Year by Blues & Soul in 2012, tied with

Tedeschi Trucks Band The Tedeschi Trucks Band () is an American blues and blues rock group based in Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 2010, the band is led by married couple Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. Their debut album, '' Revelator'' (2011), won the 2012 Gramm ...

. The album was promoted with various UK and European tours, alongside

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...

Royal Southern Brotherhood Royal Southern Brotherhood is an American blues and blues rock supergroup, consisting of singer and percussionist Cyril Neville, vocalist and guitarist Devon Allman, vocalist and guitarist Mike Zito, drummer Yonrico Scott, and bassist Charlie Woo ...

and

''Live In Concert'' & Mitch Laddie Band (2013-2014)

Laddie revamped his band line-up in late 2012 and later branded himself as Mitch Laddie Band in 2013. The band's first move was to give in to fan demand and release a

Live album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

. ''Live In Concert'' was recorded on 13 September 2013 at

The Cluny The Cluny is a 300-capacity live music venue, pub and café, on Lime Street, in the Ouseburn Valley area of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Based in a former flax spinning mill, The Cluny occupies part of the wider building at 36 Lime Street, shar ...

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is als ...

to a sell out show and released in early 2014. The album featured new tracks "Linger" & "Open Your Eyes (Take It Back)" which became tracks on the band's next studio album. Mitch Laddie Band played

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

in 2014 as part of "BluesFest, sharing the stage with the likes of

Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three li ...

Robert Cray Robert William Cray (born August 1, 1953) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He has led his own band and won five Grammy Awards. Early life Robert Cray was born on August 1, 1953, in Columbus, Georgia, while his father was stationed at ...

Gregory Porter Gregory Porter (born November 4, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. He has twice won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album: first in 2014 for ''Liquid Spirit'' and then again in 2017 for ''Take Me to the Alley''. Early li ...

''Let You Go'' (2015-2017)

In 2015, Mitch Laddie broke away from Mystic Records and formed

Independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

"MLBP" and began work on his third studio album, "Let You Go" with Mitch Laddie Band. MLB set a goal to write, record, engineer and produce an album on their own with no outside influence. The album was recorded over the period of 4 months at the band's personal studios at Steel Town Music in County Durham, UK. The album was independently released under the MLBP label in September 2015 and was praised for the band's songwriting, production and change of direction, citing a Soul and R&B influence. "Classic Rock: The Blues" magazine said "It's time to get funky as this Blues Man becomes a Soul brother" & "Blues Rock Review" saying "Once you listen to Let You Go, you will understand why The Mitch Laddie Band are popular in the UK. They have the ability to bring a variety of sounds together successfully, creating unique music that will get you groovin’."

''Another World'' (2018-2019)

2018 saw Mitch Laddie's fourth studio album "Another World" released on

"MLBP" with Mitch Laddie Band. Again recorded at the band's personal studios: Steel Town Music, County Durham UK. "Another World" saw the band heading back towards their Blues roots yet providing a kaleidoscopic palette for the genre throughout the record. Of the album, "Blues Rock Review" said "'Another World' is a strong compendium of material that deserves attention...Eclectic, that’s the word. Mitch Laddie and his band from the North East of England are not one-trick ponies. Laddie clearly knows his Hendrix, but isn’t in thrall to him. Vocally he’s at ease with soulful and funky, but can give it a bit oomph, too. He can throw in some jazzy tweaks that suggest Steely Dan, but balance that with blues rock grit. And he can get rootsy, but can do it with a dash of imagination." This album also saw the addition of guest member in

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

Johnny 'Bluehat' Davis, known for his work with

Sam Fender Samuel Thomas Fender (born 25 April 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He is known for his high tenor voice and thick Geordie accent, layered over music characterised by a roots-orientated rock approach. Fender's sound relies ...

''Wave of Illusion'' (2019-present)

In late 2019, Mitch took some time away from Mitch Laddie Band, forming new

"Test Dream Productions" and began work on a solo project that would see him recording all instruments and undertaking all production responsibilities. After releasing singles "Musk" & "Dirty Kink," Laddie announced that a new solo album would be released on his 30th birthday, 24 September 2020. The album was completed at Mitch's home studio during the outbreak of the

COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in confir ...

. "Wave of Illusion" saw a break away from the

Blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

genre, with heavy influences from

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...

. Talking about the record Laddie said, "This album started with an idea – to make a record on my own with a completely different direction. All the instruments (minus some great guests), all of the production, mixing and mastering. I wanted to make something that was inspired and influenced by the classic records and artists I grew up loving. The 70s and 80s, when records were about going out, dancing and having a blast. The Quincy Jones era of gold, Prince, Stevie Wonder, The Jacksons, but fuse it with all of the contemporary artists I love now: Frank Ocean, Dabeull, Nao, D’Angelo, with a sprinkle of the 80s soundtracks I adore. I wanted to hit on a vibe I haven’t recorded before, moving away from the Blues/Rock scene I was born into and show people what I’m really about. What came out was something bigger than I ever could have hoped for, this is a project I can say I’m truly proud of. It’s me".

Discography

*''This Time Around'' (2010)

*''Burning Bridges'' (2012) Mystic Records *''Live In Concert'' (2014) Mystic Records *''Let You Go'' (2015) MLBP *''Another World'' (2018) MLBP *''Wave of Illusion'' (2020) Test Dream Productions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laddie, Mitch 1990 births English blues guitarists English male guitarists Living people 21st-century British guitarists 21st-century British male musicians People from Shotley Bridge People from Ebchester Provogue Records artists