Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Blues guitarist and soulful songsmith Joanne Shaw Taylor started her journey in guitar as a teenager in Britain – quickly moving on from classical guitar roots to her lifelong love of blues. Here she explains how she built her career in a series of leaps of faith – from early years being mentored by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics to hard work and harder lessons on the Detroit blues scene to present-day life in guitar city, Nashville, Tennessee. Along the way she quips about 'scaring' producer Kevin Shirley, being neighbours with Bonamassa – and explains why a solo without a great song will be quickly forgotten.
Blues guitarist and soulful songsmith Joanne Shaw Taylor started her journey in guitar as a teenager in Britain – quickly moving on from classical guitar roots to her lifelong love of blues. Here she explains how she built her career in a series of leaps of faith – from early years being mentored by Dave Stewart of Eurythmics to hard work and harder lessons on the Detroit blues scene to present-day life in guitar city, Nashville, Tennessee. Along the way she quips about 'scaring' producer Kevin Shirley, being neighbours with Bonamassa – and explains why a solo without a great song will be quickly forgotten.
