Edmund John 'Ed' Deane (born 18 November 1952 in Dublin) is an Irish guitarist with a career spanning six decades, from the late 1960s to the present day.[1] He is a blues musician, playing the electric and acoustic guitar, and specialising in slide guitar and the lap steel guitar.

Ed Deane
Background information
Birth nameEdmund John Deane
Born (1952-11-18) 18 November 1952 (age 71)
Dublin, Ireland
GenresBlues, rock
OccupationMusician
Instrument(s)Electric guitar, slide guitar, lap steel guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
Years active1968–present
WebsiteEd Deane

Deane is highly regarded as a left-handed guitarist, preferring to play right-handed guitars upside down.[2]

Career

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Deane started playing acoustic blues and slide guitar while at school. His repertoire at the time drew mainly from the Delta blues of Son House, Robert Johnson and Skip James. At 16 years of age, he formed the band Blueshouse.[3][4] Their regular blues sessions in Slatterys were regularly joined by Gary Moore and Phil Lynott, and Blueshouse played alongside many visiting bluesmen of the time, such as Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, Fred McDowell, Champion Jack Dupree, Johnny Shines and Juke Boy Bonner, among others. Moving to London, he played with Granny's Intentions,[5][6] for a period, and then joining Terry and Gay Woods as guitarist with the Woods Band,[7][8] touring Europe and recording one self-titled album in 1971.[9]

Deane went on to replace Gary Moore in Skid Row,[10] before joining Bees Make Honey and cutting an album with them, produced by Nick Lowe. He then spent four years in France, mainly in Paris working with the Rock band Il Barritz,[11] and doing writing and session work. Returning to London, he recorded with Graham Parker and the Rumour, The Fallen Angels (Pretty Things) and co-founded Juice on the Loose with Ron Kavana and Geraint Watkins. Juice toured Germany as the backing band for Alexis Korner and Chris Farlowe. They also gigged extensively and recorded an album for Ace records.[12] Deane was asked to join Frankie Miller, with whom he recorded[13] and toured Europe, the UK and America.

Later, he appeared in the Mike Figgis movie Stormy Monday[14] (which featured Tommy Lee Jones, Sting and Melanie Griffith). He also contributed substantially to the soundtrack and was the only featured guitarist apart from B. B. King. Deane also played on the soundtracks of the films Leaving Las Vegas[15] and Serendipity (with Bap Kennedy).[16]

Deane spent much of the 1990s working with blues diva Dana Gillespie,[17] recording several albums with her. During this period Gillespie was voted 'Best British Female Blues Singer', before being installed in the British Blues Connection Hall of Fame.[18] He also worked and toured with Dave Kelly, recording three albums, one of which featured John P. Hammond. At this time, Deane was also recording and gigging with R&B artists such as Shuggie Otis, Sonny Rhodes, Larry Johnson, Lowell Fulson, Richard Berry, Big Jay McNeely and George "Wild Child" Butler. He toured Germany with Paul Jones and The Blues Band, and then the UK, Europe and India with Dana Gillespie. He appeared with Gillespie at the Mustique Blues Festival in the Caribbean, and also played with her as Bob Dylan's opening act on the English leg of Dylan's 1997 tour. Deane has also recorded and played live gigs with Shane MacGowan.

Deane recorded with Chris and Mick Jagger on a tribute album to Cyril Davies.[19] Deane worked with Chris on two of his solo albums (Atcha[20] and Rock the Zydeco),[21] and as a part of the Atcha Acoustic,[22] toured America, Europe and India. Deane also recorded an album, Hurricane, with the boogie-woogie pianist, Ben Waters (another Atcha Acoustic member).

In recent years, Deane has recorded two albums with the Belfast songwriter Bap Kennedy[23] (The Big Picture and Lonely Street).[24] He toured extensively with Kennedy, and together they have toured with Van Morrison, both as members of a band and as a duo. Before returning to live in Ireland, Deane toured America, the UK and Europe with Nick Lowe, joined by the songwriting team of Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham.

In 2005, he first played the Castlebar Blues Festival with his own band and has since settled back in Ireland, playing regularly with Henry McCullough, John Quearney, Noel Bridgeman, Trevor Knight, James Delaney and others. In 2010, he toured Europe with Donovan.[25]

Among other projects, he co-wrote and starred in a theatre production, the critically acclaimed The Devils Spine Band.[26][27]

References

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  1. ^ "Ed Deane | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
  2. ^ Engel, John (1 January 2006). "Left Handed Guitarists that changed music: Ed Deane". Uncommon Sound: Left Handed Guitarists that changed music. Left Field Ventures sprl. Archived from the original on 26 October 2013. Retrieved 24 February 2012. Few guitarists in Britain are as well regarded in the business as Ed Deane. Referred to as the King of British Blues by the English blues press in the 1970s, Ed Deane has played guitar and slide with sensibility and eloquence in everything from blues and straight folk to many forms of rock for the better part of four decades.
  3. ^ Keane, Eamonn. "Irish Rock Discography: Blueshouse". Irish Rock Discography. irishrock.org. Retrieved 25 February 2012. A highly rated blues band who backed visiting international blues artists such as Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup. These gigs were often organised by the Dublin Blues Appreciation Society [did anyone record anything?]. Blueshouse played regular sessions at Slatterys [Capel St] and Mahers [Moore St] in Dublin.
  4. ^ K, Francis. "Irish '60s Bands & Groups – Blueshouse". Irish Showbands and Beat Groups Archive. irishshowbands.net. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2012. Blueshouse played a pioneering blues gig on Sunday afternoons in Slattery's of Capel Street. As a blues band these guys were the real deal.
  5. ^ K, Francis. "Irish '60s Bands & Groups – Grannys Intentions". Irish Showbands and Beat Groups Archive. irishshowbands.net. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 25 February 2012. Granny's Intentions were one of Ireland's top groups of the late '60s.
  6. ^ Keane, Eamonn. "Irish Rock Discography: Granny's Intentions". Irish Rock Discography. irishrock.org. Retrieved 25 February 2012. Granny's Intentions began life as an R&B group formed by schoolfriends in Limerick in 1965.
  7. ^ Keane, Eamonn. "Irish Rock Discography: Woods Band". Irish Rock Discography. irishrock.org. Retrieved 25 February 2012. Band formed by Gay & Terry Woods after leaving Steeleye Span and playing briefly with Dr Strangely Strange. With guitarist Ed Deane (ex Blueshouse, Granny's Intentions ) and drummer Pat Nash (ex Granny's Intentions).
  8. ^ Keane, Eamonn. "Irish Rock Discography: Gay & Terry Woods". Irish Rock Discography. irishrock.org. Retrieved 25 February 2012. Terry Woods could with some justice claim to be one of the founding fathers of electric folk in Britain.
  9. ^ Zierke, Reinhard. "Mainly Norfolk: English Folk and Other Good Music – The Woods Band". Mainly Norfolk: English Folk and Other Good Music. mainlynorfolk.info. Retrieved 4 January 2015. Terry Woods could with some justice claim to be one of the founding fathers of electric folk in Britain.
  10. ^ "Skid Row – The story". irishshowbands.com. GMS Productions. Retrieved 26 February 2012. The band took some time to get together, but it finally happened in late August of 1973. The lineup featured: Eamonn Gibney (vocals), Ed Dean (guitar), and John Wilson (drums)
  11. ^ "45 tours de rock français – Il Barritz". 45 tours de rock français. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2012. IL BARRITZ était un groupe anglais séjournant à Biarritz avec, outre Philippe Debarge, Wally Waller (Pretty Things), Ed Deane (Bees Make Honey), Tim Reeves (Mungo Jerry) et Kevin McAlea (Bees Make Honey). Leur unique album éponyme, produit par Phil May, est sorti chez Atlantic en 1976.
  12. ^ "Juice on the Loose – Album Credits". albumcredits.com. Retrieved 6 March 2012. Co-Credited Performers: Ed Deane[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ "Frankie Miller – Perfect Fit". cduniverse.com. Retrieved 6 March 2012. Personnel .. Ed Deane ..
  14. ^ Stormy Monday at IMDb
  15. ^ Leaving Las Vegas at IMDb
  16. ^ Serendipity at IMDb
  17. ^ "Knights in Blue Denim: Dana Gillespie". Fridhammar.com. Retrieved 6 March 2012. Often working in '98 with a backup band called The Dana Gillespie Blues Band led by multiinstrumentalist Ed Deane.
  18. ^ "MySpace: Dana Gillespie". Myspace.com. Retrieved 6 March 2012. In recognition of her talent, she was voted 'Top British Female Blues Vocalist' by the British Blues Connection and Blueprint Magazine between 1992 and 1996 and has now been elevated into their Hall of Fame.
  19. ^ Trobridge, Roger (26 February 2012). "Knights of the Blues Table". Cyrildavies.com. Retrieved 7 April 2012. "Knights of the Blues Table" is truly a labor of love. Originally conceived as a tribute to the "Godfathers of British Blues," Cyril Davies and Alexis Korner, the album ended up as a more general celebration of the genre's origins and rich history.
  20. ^ "Chris Jagger – Atcha". cduniverse.com. Retrieved 7 April 2012. Atcha introduces Chris Jagger's renewed vision of music. A buoyant combination of zydeco charm and pub-rock singalong wit, the album suggests the musical chemistry that developed between Jagger and his group.
  21. ^ "Chris Jagger – Rock the Zydeco". cduniverse.com. Retrieved 7 April 2012. The Atcha Band: Chris Jagger (vocals, acoustic guitar); Ed Deane (acoustic & electric guitars, lap steel); Robin McKidd (fiddle, acoustic guitar); Tony Weaterall (accordion); Constance Redgrave (bass, washboard, background vocals); Malcolm Mortimore (drums).
  22. ^ "Artist Biographies – Chris Jagger's Atcha". Hypertension Music. 21 September 2008. Retrieved 7 April 2012. Line Up:: Ed Deane – electric guitar and vocals – A gifted slide, rhythm and solo player, Ed has played with Graham Parker, The Blues Band, Shane MacGowan, Nick Lowe, Dana Gillespie and B.B.King.
  23. ^ Kennedy, Bap (9 December 2009). "Bap Kennedys Friends". Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2012. The Legendary Ed Deane, (aka 'The Ledge'), Bap's long-time mate and excellent guitar accompanist, is "rated one of the finest guitarists ever to emerge from Ireland"
  24. ^ "Bap Kennedy – Lonely Street". cduniverse.com. Retrieved 7 April 2012. Personnel includes: Bap Kennedy (vocals, acoustic guitar); Ed Deane (electric & lap steel guitar); Nick Newell (saxophone); Kieran Kiely (piano); Martin Smith (keyboards); Herbie Flowers (bass); Martin Huges (drums); Jemima Price, James Hunter (background vocals).
  25. ^ "Donovan in Switzerland". donovan.ie. Archived from the original on 31 May 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2012. Donovan's Band: Donovan Leitch, Trevor Knight (MD & Keys), Noel Bridgman (Drums), John Quearney (Bass), Ed Deane (Guitar), Rod Callan (Tour manager & Sound engineer), Robbie Meade (Gtr Tec.)
  26. ^ Keane, Caomhan. "The Devil's Spine Band". entertainment.ie. Retrieved 7 April 2012. The Devil's Spine Band may have made fewer waves in the media but it grabbed attention in artistic circles for its eclecticism and dynamic experimentation ... with a brave combination of Japanese dance, blues, country music and striking visuals, it's set to be a fully sensual experience
  27. ^ Knight, Trevor. "The Devils Spine Band". Facebook. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
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