Folk Bands and Artists
RSJ Blues
Southampton
John F. Wands- Vocals and Rhythm Guitar
Ronnie Taylor- Saxophone
Stuart Walker - Lead Guitarist
John F. Wands
John has one of the finest blues voices ever to come out of the British Isles. His life has been an embodiment of the trouble and pain of the blues- an early life of juvenile crime, borstal, prison, drug addiction followed by gradual rehabilitation combined with self deprecation, good humour and deep friendship for the people who have stood by him. He served a musical apprenticeship working with and learning from the likes of Gerry Lockran, Kevin Maryland, Bob Pearce and many more. He met up with Dr Johnny in 1977 and through the eighties they produced four albums. He was also a leading light in the legendary Skiffle Band – a six piece combo playing fully acoustic with tea chest bass and washboard. He played bluegrass music with Bitter Creek and with the electric bands Fat City, Fester and the Vomits and Press to play’. In the 90s he found his musical and personal soul mate in Ronnie Taylor ace sax player and formed the unlikely but successful blues duo Ronnie and Johnny.
Ronnie Taylor
Ronnie Taylor is an outstanding alto sax player from Southampton. His musical career started in the early sixties with the soul band The Globe Show, backing top artists like Ben. E King (5 tours), Patti Labelle, Jimmy Ruffin, Joe Tex and (Erma Franklin - On the Wilson Picket Soul Extravaganza at The Royal Albert Hall). He also shared the same stage jamming with the likes of Little Richard and Tom Jones. He went on to play with the bands Iguana and the Jess Roden Band in the 1970s.
In the early days of ‘The Jess Roden Band’, they were tour supports, with ‘Roxy Music’ and ‘The Who’. Later they then went touring in our own right.
During this time they did a fair amount of recordings with the BBC, on ‘The John Peel Show’ on radio, then in 1975 we appeared on T.V in the, ‘Old Grey Whistle Test’, then ‘Sight and Sounds’ in Jan ’77 that was broadcast to over 12 million people.
Ronnie struck up a lasting partnership with John F. Wands playing first with the electric band Press To Play and subsequently as the duo, ‘Ronnie and Johnny’. He is particularly attached to his saxophone which once belonged to Southampton band leader Gil Hume.
