Thursday, April 28, 2005

JGLB tour dates

see JGLB:

Friday-Saturday April 29-30: BLUE SHARK 1620 E Seventh Ave Ybor City (813) 248-3499

Friday May 6: Two Buks 1915 N.Hercules Ave(At Sunset Point Rd.) Clearwater, Fla.
Phone: 727- 442-0812

Friday-Saturday May 13-14: BLUE SHARK 1620 E Seventh Ave Ybor City (813) 248-3499

Friday-Saturday May 20-21: BLUE SHARK 1620 E Seventh Ave Ybor City (813) 248-3499

Friday-Saturday May 27-28: BLUE SHARK 1620 E Seventh Ave Ybor City (813) 248-3499

read this about the BLUE SHARK

i was out of town this week. Next week, we will resume JGLB mp3 of the week and JGLB trading card of the week.

Here here and here are some more trading cards. And of course, here!

Sunday, April 24, 2005

Mayor Dick Greco and his wife Linda join JGLB!

This is big news: Mayor Dick Greco and his wife Linda have joined JGLB! We were jammin with them the other night and it was awesome! They agreed to join the band! They ROCK!

Savannah, Ga. honors JGLB with building

Savannah, Georgia recently honored JGLB by naming a building in honor of JGLB's honor. We'd like to thank Savannah Mayor Otis Johnson and all the esteemed citizens of Savannah for bestowing this honor on us. We will soon be playing a concert at this building.
We also understand that the lady who founded the Girl Scouts hangs out in Savannah, and she's a JGLB fan too.

Thursday, April 21, 2005

JGLB trading cards.

We have a new thing: JGLB trading cards!

this features current and former band members, associates, and just about anybody else we wanna put out there!

Our first trading card is of photographer and former JGLB bassist Jeff Black. If anybody knows where Jeff is, have him contact us, we have lost track of him. He's a good guy, and we want to stay in touch with him... Make sure it's the right one, and that he plays bass. there are a few "Jeff Blacks" here in Tampa, including a photographer that's not him.

e-mail me with your suggestions for the subject of the next card.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

updates / recap

First off, just in case you didn't know, we'll be at Blue Shark this weekend, friday and saturday, April 22-23 at 9 pm. The Blue Shark is at 1620 E Seventh Ave in Ybor City (813) 248-3499. For a complete JGLB schedule click here.

also, don't forget, the Thieves of San Lorenzo Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day Fundraising Party on thursday.

click here for information about JGLB's CD, "Give The Kid A Chance." information. e-mail johnny if you would like to purchase a CD.

read here about the mp3 "Tampa Bay Sound." e-mail johnny to receive this mp3 by e-mail.

read here about the mp3 "Blind Willie Rules." e-mail me to receive this mp3 by e-mail. E-mail Allen Moffatt for a copy of "Allen Moffatt Presents DO THE BLIND WILLIE."

we are going to try to post on this blog daily. please check in as often as you can!

Monday, April 18, 2005

free mp3 of the week: "BLIND WILLIE RULES!"

I am going to start a new thing, where i give away an mp3 every week. Last week's was a huge success, thank you for the overwhelmingly positive response for "Tampa Bay Sound."

In the weeks to come, I hope to have mp3s of stuff i recorded in the 90's. it's already mixed. it was gonna be my 3rd album, but we just never put it together. I found the tapes the other day, and Phil is putting them on CDs. from the CDs i will make mp3s. Some of the stuff is pretty good. Hard hitting bluesy rock and roll, i guess you could call it. Longtime JGLB fans might recognize "Lookin Real Pretty (Down in Ybor City)," "That's Life in the Big City," "House of Humperdink" and other songs... and of course, Tampa Bay Sound!

There's also my first album, "Good Cheap Rock and Roll" which was released on cassette only. I may be able to get some of those tracks on mp3 soon too. This is stuff from the 80's, and maybe even one track from the 70's... I'm hoping to recover "Lonesome Guitar Road," "Get It While It's Hot," "Mississippi River" "Comb My Hair," "King of Hollywood" and other tunes from "GCR&R..."

We may also occasionally have MP3s that are by artists other than ourselves. This is to some degree the case this week, as our mp3 of the week is by a mix of musicians, not the regular JGLB.

This week, the mp3 of the week is "Blind Willie Rules," written by Johnny G Lyon, Rob Stoney, William James and Thomas Allen Moffatt. It's from the album: "Allen Moffatt Presents DO THE BLIND WILLIE." The song is a tribute to Blind Willie James and Allen Moffatt. it was recorded at Progressive Studio in Tampa, probably in 1997. The song features the late great Rock Bottom on harmonica and former JGLB saxophonist Thor Stevens. Freight Train Parker plays bass, and I play guitar and sing. There's good whacko background vocals by these same guys.

The best part of the song may be Blind Willie's commentary: "Damn right I rule!" and other choice remarks.

Allen Moffatt plays drums, and Ken Veenstra is the engineer, and they worked together mixing this song. On almost every other recording I've done in many years, Ray Blade plays drums and Phil is the engineer. "Blind Willie Rules" does not have the relentlessly hard-hitting manic intensity of my recordings with Ray and Phil, the same thing you hear when you hear JGLB live. But this is a fun song with a whacko energy all its own. I think it will make you smile.

E-mail me for a free mp3 of "Blind Willie Rules."

To purchase the excellent CD "Allen Moffatt Presents DO THE BLIND WILLIE," e-mail Allen Moffatt, or write Allen Moffatt at: 16301 Dew Drop Lane, Tampa Fl 33625. This CD features 19 outstanding songs!

e-mail me for info on how to get a copy of JGLB's CD, "Give The Kid A Chance!"

Thursday, April 14, 2005

SPECIAL GUEST at GOODFELLAS: DIRTY E !!!

Please come check out JGLB at Goodfellas with special guest: DIRTY E!
showtime: FRIDAY APRIL 15 10 PM
Dirty E at 11:30 PM
if you have an amp that looks exactly like this, please bring it! i have two, but they are both in need of repair.
otherwise, i'll bring one that looks like this. except it looks pretty beat up. but it'll get us thru the gig!
IT'S DOROTHY'S BIRTHDAY! LET"S ROCK!!!

Happy Birthday Rhonda and Dorothy!

Happy Birthday Rhonda! Thanks to you and Reed for inviting us to your party! You sure looked beautiful! We had a great time! See ya soon! lovey dovey, Ray, Benny, Tommy and Johnny

Happy Birthday Dorothy! we hope to see your beautiful face Friday at Goodfellas where we will have a great birthday party! we're ready to ROCK YOUR BIRTHDAY! smooches, Ray, Benny, Tommy and JGL.

Emily Lyons

I love Emily Lyons.

the CNN reporter asked her, "if you could speak to (E.R.), what would you say?

Emily Lyons said, "He failed." she would tell him that he failed.

When I heard her say this, I had to stand up and applaud. Yes, he did fail.

Funny thing about this country... we tend to reject the hard core haters... they never get anywhere here...

God Bless America.

What's so funny about peace love and understanding?

ok, no more politics.

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

free NEW music from JGLB: TAMPA BAY SOUND !

as i mentioned in this post, there's new JGLB original material available.

if you would like a mp3 of the song "Tampa Bay Sound" by JGLB, please send me an e-mail requesting "Tampa Bay Sound" and i will send you the song.

"Tampa Bay Sound" was written by Johnny G Lyon some time in the year 1995. This version was recorded in 1996 and mixed in 1998, then stored away until now. The song could be described as a Julius Cheeks-type vocal with a Bob Wills-like groove played by the J. Geils Band-inspired rhythm section with a Duane Allman influenced slide guitar and an Elmore James "Madison Blues" feel horn section at the end. As is the case with almost all music we've ever recorded, it was recorded at Hitmakers Recording Studio in Tampa, with Phil engineering. This track was mixed by Phil and JGL.

"Tampa Bay Sound" features Ray Blade on drums and trombone (trombone?), Thor Stevens on saxes, and Johnny G Lyon on guitars, bass, piano and vocal. Here's a pic of the three of us.

send an e-mail if ya want the song, and i'll send it to ya, FREE!

Monday, April 11, 2005

READY TO ROCK

I promise you, we will be ready to rock this Friday April 15 at Goodfellas.
Mail in your tax returns, or file for an extension, and then come on down to Goodfellas. 4802 Gunn Hwy. Tampa (813-933-6644)
REMEMBER, THIS IS A ONE-NITE-ONLY SHOW, so don't come on Saturday.
I will try to explain why I am so fired up later this week.
here are some hints: hint, hint, hint, hint, hint, hint, hint, hint, hint, hint, hint, hint, hint, hint!!!, hint, hint, hint, hint, hint, hint, hint, hint, hint, hint, hint, JGLB.
Buy a JGLB CD!
Tell me, who's that writin'?
John the Revelator!

Thieves of San Lorenzo and Friends Invite you

Thieves of San Lorenzo and Friends Invite you to our Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day Fundraising Party!
Gaspar's Grotto, Thursday, April 21, 2005, from 6:00 to 10: PM.1805 East 7th Ave., Ybor City
Performing live - Tampa's very own Johnny G. Lyon (SOLO / UNPLUGGED).
50/50 raffle, Basket's & Item RafflesAll proceeds benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation.
Registered 60 mile walkers from the Thieves are:Betsy LeClair, Kathleen Hurley, Linda Rossow and Stephanie Schmitt
Online Donations can be made at: http://www.the3day.org/htmlcontent.asp?cid=33453
read more here.

Sunday, April 10, 2005

life changing musical events

These aren't the only ones, but they're some of the main ones.

1964: I am at my 14 year-old cousin's house. She is watching the Beatles on "Ed Sullivan" and crying uncontrollably.

1970: A friend turns me on to B.B. King. Another friend turns me on to J. Geils Band.

1972: I see J Geils Band live. also first saw BB King live around this time.

1978: Phil turns me on to the music of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys

1980: while driving through the Florida Panhandle on a Sunday Morning, I hear a radio station playing "Lay Down Our Lives" by the Rev. Julius Cheeks.

1996: Phil and I travel to Turkey, Texas for Bob Wills Day. We hear the Texas Playboys perform. Some of the Playboys are about 90 years old. Eldon Shamblin plays at this show, but i think he never played again. I aquire the CD "Basin Street Blues."

2000: on the recommendation of Ben Jammin, i rent the movie "Blues Brothers 2000." This movie has BB King, Aretha Franklin, the late great Junior Wells, Wilson Pickett, James Brown, Sam Moore, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Bo Diddley, too many overwhelmingly great people to mention... but beyond even that, it is the story of my life.

"Invoke the Calling of the Blood," indeed. "No pharmaceutical product could ever equal the rush you get when the band hits that groove, the people are dancin and shoutin and swayin, and the house is rockin!"

Well, the Beatles, J Geils, BB King, Bob Wills, Rev Julius Cheeks, the Blues Brothers 2000 (yes the Blues Brothers 2000), and the Louisiana Gator Boys, among many other people... they hit that groove. Sometimes, our band hits that groove too.

Thursday, April 07, 2005

JGLB!

there are lots of interesting sites for JGLB. Most are for us, The Johnny G Lyon Band, which we now like to call Johnny G Lyon & JGLB. This one, we started with a webmaster who has gone AWOL. This one is part of Tedd Webb's excellent collection. Here's one with a pic of the Witherspoons (you hear them on our CD) with JGLB. Here's one that was gonna be our new homepage (luv that dancin' babe!). This one is one we wish would go away. And this one is controlled by the JGLB!

But you also get Jüdische Gemeinde Land Brandenburg, and you can click here to read a story containing a quote from Lt. j.g. L.B. McLin. How bout Josh Gibson's Long Balls? Sometimes, but not now, you can get info on "Japanese gay lesbian bisexuals." Sometimes they get the letters misplaced for the Jewish Lads and Girls Brigade and call it JGLB instead of JLGB. Read about SORTED UNIFICATION ANDTHE SOLUTION OF SEMI-LINEAR MEMBERSHIP CONSTRAINTS, which says: "If \Sigma is a monomorphic signature under a quasi-ordering v\Sigma , then \Sigma is of type unitary if JGLB(E)j ^ 1 for all S, of type finitary if JGLB(E)j is finite for all S, and of type infinitary if JGLB(E)j = 1 for some S, where S is a set of sorts."

This one says golf 1 jglb 1,3. This one has JGLB$$ !!!!

But My favorite used to be José García-Luengo Beltri's site. It's gone now... for some reason, this building in Savannah is called JGLB. Is it named after us?

CD's FOUND!

while going thru the JGLB warehouse, some copies of our CD, "Give The Kid A Chance!" turned up!

If you would like one, we got 'em, brand new, and you can buy one for just $17.00 including postage and handling. If we get more, we will sell them at our gigs, but for now, with supplies limited, we must stick to mail order only.

9 great songs: Let It Be A Natural Thing, Who's That Stranger, Rule Of Thumb, I Played the Little Girl's Game, Come Again, Lookin For Happiness, Call Me Lover Boy #2, Piece of Heaven, and Strange Days Have Just Begun.

send an e-mail for instructions on how to order.

also, we may have found some master tapes of unreleased (original JGLB) material. we are gonna try to make some CD's outta them, if they are usable (they have not been in a climate control area) also, we may be able to make some copies of our first album "Good Cheap Rock and Roll" so hopefully we will soon have a lot of good music for you...