The Electric Revelators are a

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 ...

band, formed in

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

2004, Wales, added

Jerry Donahue Jerry Donahue (born September 24, 1946, Manhattan, New York City) is an American guitarist and producer primarily known for his work in the British folk rock scene as a member of Fotheringay and Fairport Convention as well as being a member of ...

ex-member of

Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Martin Lamble after their first gig.) They started o ...

and

Chris Rea Christopher Anton Rea ( ; born 4 March 1951) is an English rock and 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, fie ...

Band to the line-up in 2011. Originally called The Revelators they added Electric to the name in 2009 when they toured with

The Animals The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...

and

David "Honeyboy" Edwards David "Honeyboy" Edwards (June 28, 1915 – August 29, 2011) was a Delta blues guitarist and singer from Mississippi. Biography Edwards was born in Shaw, Mississippi.

. The band play an electric set of

Chicago blues Chicago blues is a form of blues music developed in Chicago, Illinois. It is based on earlier blues idioms, such as Delta blues, but performed in an urban style. It developed alongside the Great Migration of the first half of the twentieth cent ...

Texas blues Texas blues is blues music from Texas. As a regional style, its original form was characterized by jazz and swing influences. Later examples are often closer to blues rock and Southern rock. History Texas blues began to appear in the early 1900 ...

and

British blues British blues is a form of music derived from American blues that originated in the late 1950s, and reached its height of mainstream popularity in the 1960s. In Britain, it developed a distinctive and influential style dominated by electric gui ...

all with an indie twist. Their acoustic set is a mix of original and standard

Delta blues Delta blues is one of the earliest-known styles of blues. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, and is regarded as a regional variant of country blues. Guitar and harmonica are its dominant instruments; slide guitar is a hallmark of the s ...

they have performed at UK and European Blues Festivals since 2004.

Style and techniques

Feeling at home in the US as well as in the UK, Donahue musically draws from influences of both countries like Celtic music, rock, blues and country. Technically, Donahue mostly plays in

fingerpicking Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of guitar picking, playing the guitar or bass guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking (plucking individual notes with ...

hybrid picking Hybrid picking is a guitar-playing technique that involves picking with a pick (plectrum) and one or more fingers alternately or simultaneously. Hybrid picking allows guitar players who use a pick to perform music which would normally require ...

style with his right hand. However, his left hand technique made him famous among guitar players. Technically Gregory's style of playing slide guitar is

, and plays guitar on his lap, he plays acoustic guitar in normal position but once again he will use finger style playing. Gregory's harmonica style or better known as

blues harp The Richter-tuned harmonica, or 10-hole harmonica (in Asia) or blues harp (in America), is the most widely known type of harmonica. It is a variety of diatonic harmonica, with ten holes which offer the player 19 notes (10 holes times a draw and ...

is strongly influenced by Chicago players such as

Junior Wells Junior Wells (born Amos Wells Blakemore Jr., December 9, 1934January 15, 1998) was an American singer, harmonica player, and recording artist. He is best known for his signature song "Messin' with the Kid" and his 1965 album ''Hoodoo Man Blues'' ...

and

Little Walter Marion Walter Jacobs (May 1, 1930 – February 15, 1968), known as Little Walter, was an American blues musician, singer, and songwriter, whose revolutionary approach to the harmonica had a strong impact on succeeding generations, earning him ...

. Gordon Wride's guitar technique is reliant on a heavy rhythm to complement the intricate styles of Donahue and Gregory, he will use both

plectrum A plectrum is a small flat tool used for plucking or strumming of a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick and is held as a separate tool in the player's hand. In harpsic ...

and

Wride's slide technique is quite robust in the style of

Son House Edward James "Son" House Jr. (March 21, 1902His date of birth is a matter of some debate. House alleged that he was middle-aged during World War I and that he was 79 in 1965, which would make his date of birth around 1886. However, all legal re ...

and

Jack White (musician) John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely c ...

vocal style and influence is based on the early delta blues singers such as

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generati ...

Skip James Nehemiah Curtis "Skip" James (June 9, 1902October 3, 1969) was an American Delta blues singer, guitarist, pianist and songwriter. AllMusic stated: "This emotional, lyrical performer was a talented blues guitarist and arranger with an impressive ...

etc. Wride was also trained

bel canto Bel canto (Italian for "beautiful singing" or "beautiful song", )—with several similar constructions (''bellezze del canto'', ''bell'arte del canto'')—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing. The phrase was not associat ...

style by an

operatic Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...

teacher for many years.

Headlined the Acoustic Stage, Great British R&B Festival, Colne, Lancashire August 2011

The Electric Revelators featuring Jerry Donahue, Gordon Wride and Simon Gregory headlined the Acoustic Stage Colne Blues Festival in August 2011, with the songs of Robert Johnson Show. This was a one off festival appearance, after a sell out UK tour in February 2011 celebrating the centenary birthday of Robert Johnson 'king of the delta blues'.

Theatre performance

On 23 August 2007 Gordon Wride & The Revelators, played a part in the stage play ''Free at Last'' – at

Brangwyn Hall , former_names = , alternate_names = , image = Brangwyn hall.jpg , alt = , caption = Brangwyn Hall entrance , map_type = , altitude = , building_type ...

, Swansea. The show attracted a sell out crowd, with The First Minister for Wales,

Rhodri Morgan Hywel Rhodri Morgan (29 September 1939 – 17 May 2017) was a Welsh Labour politician who was the First Minister of Wales and the Leader of Welsh Labour from 2000 to 2009. He was also the Assembly Member for Cardiff West from 1999 to 2011 and t ...

, in attendance. The official brochure sets out the cast with some of the leading UK and world jazz and blues musicians including

Tony Kofi Tony Kofi (born 10 July 1966) is a British jazz saxophonist and flautist. He leads a trio and quartet and is co-founder of the Monk Liberation Band. His trio includes drummer Winston Clifford and Hammond B3 organist Anders Olinder. Kofi is signe ...

Victor Brox Victor Brox (5 May 1941 – 20 February 2023) was an English blues musician. Early life and career Born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, he attended St Mary’s, Droylsden and William Hulme's Grammar School where he played trombone in the sch ...

and

Byron Wallen Byron Wallen (born July 1969) is a British jazz trumpeter, composer and educator. He was described by ''Jazzwise'' as "one of the most innovative, exciting and original trumpet players alive". As characterised by ''All About Jazz'', "He does not ...

. The Revelators were given headline billing in the official cast list. The show was produced/directed by Gbubemi Amas.

Background on current band members

Gordon Wride – vocal & rhythm guitar/dobro

Cwmgors Cwmgors is a village in the county of Glamorgan, and administered as part of the unitary authority borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It is part of the community of Gwaun-cae-Gurwen and lies within the ceremonial county of West Glamorgan. Cw ...

Wales Currently tour manager for many UK rock & blues artists in Portugal, these include

Manfred Mann Manfred Mann were an English rock band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two differen ...

The Yardbirds The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell ...

Slade Slade are an English rock band formed in Wolverhampton in 1966. They rose to prominence during the glam rock era in the early 1970s, achieving 17 consecutive top 20 hits and six number ones on the UK Singles Chart. The ''British Hit Singles ...

and John Lees

Barclay James Harvest Barclay James Harvest are an English progressive rock band. They were founded in Oldham, in September 1966 by bassist/vocalist Les Holroyd (b. 1948), guitarist/vocalist John Lees (b. 1947), drummer/percussionist Mel Pritchard (1948–2004), a ...

. Guest presenter and helped with research for BBC Radio Wales 2004 ''True Blues Show'' and is the creator of internet magazine ''Slim's Blues''.

– lead guitar California USA Ex-member of

and the

Hellecasters The Hellecasters are an American guitar group. Composed of noted session players Will Ray, John Jorgenson (Desert Rose Band, and Elton John's backing band), and Jerry Donahue ( Fairport Convention), they all play guitars by other manufacturers, ...

and

. electric guitar player with The Electric Revelators (acoustic duo) for The

Song Book Tours. Simon Gregory – lapslide, harmonica and guitar

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...

England Original member of The Electric Revelators 2007.

Former members

* Colin Goldring: 2010 Founder member of

Pork Dukes The Pork Dukes are an English punk rock band, formed 1976 during the first wave of British punk in London, England. History The band was originally composed of twin brothers and former Gnidrolog members Colin Goldring (vocals / guitar) and Ste ...

and

Gnidrolog Gnidrolog was a British progressive rock band. Gnidrolog at Allmusic/ref> History The band was founded in 1969 by twin brothers Colin and Stewart Goldring, who were joined by drummer Nigel Pegrum from Spice and Peter "Mars" Cowling on bass. Jo ...

, Colin Goldring has been involved with many sessions for Plant Life records and BBC sessions playing on over 100 released records. * Rob Thomas, 2004 – 2007 harmonica player from Swansea. * Lisa Pedrick, (2005) was

S4C S4C (, ''Sianel Pedwar Cymru'', meaning ''Channel Four Wales'') is a Welsh language free-to-air public broadcast television channel. Launched on 1 November 1982, it was the first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking ...

Factor Wow winner beating pop artist

Duffy Duffy may refer to: People *Duffy (surname), people with the surname Duffy or Duffey *Duffy (nickname) *Duffy (singer) (born 1984), Welsh singer, born Aimee Ann Duffy Places *Duffy, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Duffy, Ohio ...

into second place. * Terry Clarke played with The Revelators in 2006.

Recordings

*''How Cold Is The Valley'': 4 Track EP (2006) *Betrayal Blues: (2008)

Reviews

The Electric Revelators are reviewed in issue 51 November 2009 of ''

Blues Matters ''Blues Matters!'' is a bimonthly British blues magazine. History ''Blues Matters!'' was founded by Alan Pearce in 1999. It is published on a bimonthly basis. Alan King and Darren Howells (until 2009) previously served as the magazine's editor- ...

'', first for their show with

David "Honeyboy" Edwards David "Honeyboy" Edwards (June 28, 1915 – August 29, 2011) was a Delta blues guitarist and singer from Mississippi. Biography Edwards was born in Shaw, Mississippi.

and their set at Blues on the Farm, June 2009. ''Modern Guitar'' magazine cited Gordon Wride the first musician to perform with a

Dobro Dobro is an American brand of resonator guitars, currently owned by Gibson and manufactured by its subsidiary Epiphone. The term "dobro" is also used as a generic term for any wood-bodied, single-cone resonator guitar. The Dobro was originally ...

guitar at a major blues festival in Porto, at The 2007 Douro Blues Festival, Portugal. Gordon Wride was also reviewed by Tom Watson (''Modern Guitar'' magazine) as giving the audience a taste of early delta blues. On the bill that weekend of June 2007 were

Coco Montoya Coco Montoya (born Henry Montoya, October 2, 1951, Santa Monica, California) is an American blues guitarist and singer and former member of John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. Musical career Montoya's career began in the mid-1970s when Albert Colli ...

and Ray Minninett, there are at least two reviews in ''Modern Guitar'' magazine on Gordon Wride – last one with

Chris Jagger Christopher Jagger (born 19 December 1947) is an English musician. He is the younger brother of rock star Mick Jagger, frontman for the Rolling Stones. Early life, family and education Jagger was born into a middle-class family in Dartford, ...

in 2008 at The Douro Blues Festival.

Endorsement

The Electric Revelators are the only current Welsh blues band to be endorsed by international string distributor Picato Strings, one notable endorsee is

Ritchie Blackmore Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English guitarist and songwriter. He was a founding member of Deep Purple in 1968, playing jam-style hard rock music that mixed guitar riffs and organ sounds. He is prolific in creating guitar ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Electric Revelators British blues musical groups Musical groups established in 2004 Musical groups from Swansea 2004 establishments in Wales