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Good Enough To Join Pink Floyd
He is one of the
most respected guitarists in the world. He was the first
musician to be called up by Pink Floyd to augment the
band. He joined Thin Lizzy, wrote songs for them,
recorded and toured with them. He’s a close pal of the
legendary Peter Green and he is in Newcastle in
February. He is Snowy White.
How old were you
when you first started to learn the guitar and can you
remember what your first ‘gigging’ guitar was?
I was about 10 when I
first had an acoustic for my birthday, then I bought a
Hofner Futurama 2 which I played on my first gigs at my
local youth club when I was about 15.
Was there a
particular musician or reason that inspired you to start
playing?
I just wanted to attract
girls! But a bit later I heard some blues and from then
on I knew where I was going musically.
What was your first
band and date formed?
The Blue Shades, in the
Isle of Wight, around 1965 (I can't remember the date
for sure...)
How did you meet
Peter Green?
When I arrived in London
in 1968 I got his phone number and called him and asked
if I could meet him to have a jam and he invited me to
his house the next day.
How did you get the
call to join Pink Floyd?
I was recommended by a
couple of people and didn't have any sort of audition
What type of guitar
did you play for your Floyd gigs?
I used my old Les Paul as often as
I could, but I also used some of the Floyd's
guitars whenever I needed a different sound.
How big were the
crowds on Floyd’s USA, Wall tour?
Very big!
How did you feel
about joining Thin Lizzy and your time with them?
I thought they were a
great band with some really good songs and I thought
there would be some space in there for me to play my
bluesy stuff. I enjoyed most of my time with them
although it got more difficult to work with Phil as he
got more into drugs and drink. Great guy though, just
lost his way.
You wrote “Bird
of Paradise” which is rightly regarded as a
guitar classic – how do you feel about having had such a
big hit single?
It's both good and bad,
good because it gave me some publicity, bad because it
made people think I was a pop star!
Is it possible to
compare the satisfaction of playing with Pink Floyd or
Thin Lizzy and your own successful band, The Blues
Project?
Well, playing other
people's music is obviously not as satisfying as doing
my own thing, but it can be good fun anyway and
sometimes the money earned from playing with other
people can go towards paying for the recordings of my
own music.
How did you feel
about joining Roger Waters to perform The Wall in front
of 350,000 people in Berlin?
Same as any show really,
I just concentrated on getting my part right and didn't
really take much notice of what was going on around me.
How many times have
you toured the world with Roger Waters?
A couple of tours went
all around the world and others just various territories
How many guitars do
you own and do you have a favourite?
I have about 5 guitars
including a couple of acoustics and a cheap Strat copy,
but my favourite is my old Les Paul Goldtop 1957
Standard, which I have had for exactly 40 years.
As an experienced
player, do you still practice and if so how much?
I don't practice at all
If you could have
any guitar in the world, what would it be?
Got it already
Is there any one
musician or band you would like to play with?
Not really, I like lots
of people, but I'd rather be in the audience listening
What was your best
gig ever?
Don't really know the
answer to that, big or small, all gigs are different and
can be good in different ways
What songs can we
expect at your February gig in Newcastle with your Blues
Project Band?
We play all the new album
plus some standards and we do an acoustic spot. We like
to have fun and it's seems the audience enjoy it too.
So, if you want to
see a brilliant guitarist and shake hands with a former
member of Pink Floyd and Thin Lizzy, check out the
Snowy White Blues Project at the Cluny Newcastle on
Thursday 11th February.
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