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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZLANG, Jonny(b Jon Gordon Langseth Jr., 29 January 1981, Fargo North Dakota) Blues guitarist and singer. He started playing the guitar at age 12, after his father took him to see Fargo's Bad Medicine Blues Band. He took lessons from Ted Larsen, the band's guitar player, and several months later he joined the band, re-named Kid Jonny Lang and the Big Bang. The band moved to Minneapolis and independently released the album Smokin' in 1995, when Lang was still only 14. He was signed to A&M Records in 1996 and released the multi-platinum solo album Lie to Me in early 1997, winning him a cameo in the film Blues Brothers in 2000. Eric Clapton asked Lang to play at the 2004 Crossroads Guitar Festival, raising money for the Crossroads Centre Antigua. Lang has toured with such luminaries as the Rolling Stones (on their No Security tour), Aerosmith, B.B. King, Jeff Beck, and Sting. From 1995 to 2004 Lang's backing band included Paul Diethelm on guitar, Bruce McCabe on keyboards, and Billy Thommes on drums. Bassist Doug Nelson was killed in a traffic accident in 2000, and was replaced by Billy Franze. Saxophonist David Eiland was added in 2000, providing Lang with a foil for extended instrumental jams. In 2005, Lang revamped his band with all new members, except for bassist Jim Anton, who had replaced Franze in 2003, and embarked on an acoustic tour. Houston native Charles Jones played keyboards, while new guitarist Reeve Carney pulled double duty as the Lang band's opening act at several shows in 2005 and again in 2006. Turn Around was Lang's new album in 2006. |