Jonny Lang Brings His Blues to The Music Hall

The Music Hall welcomes Jonny Lang back on February 16 at 7:30pm. With a Grammy Award for Best Gospel Album, Turn Around, the voice of an ancient bluesman, and extraordinary guitar playing, this once-in-a-generation blues talent returns for a live performance in The Historic Theater.

An energized collection of some of the best songs from his studio recordings, Lang’s latest album, Live at the Ryman provides a snapshot of Lang in his natural element—onstage in front of an electrified audience, celebrating the past and heralding the future of the blues. It captures the magic and inspiration of the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.

"I've wanted to do a live record for a long time, because I feel like our band is strongest in the live setting," says Lang. "I think this record is a good representation of our live show, and an accurate reference for people who haven't seen us yet. Hopefully it will be an inspiration for them to come out and see us."

A professional musician since age 12, Lang rocketed from his hometown of Fargo, North Dakota, to international renown in his mid teens.  He topped the Billboard New Artist chart with his first album at age 15. While kids his age were still playing high school gigs, he was touring with giants like the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith, trading licks with mentors like B. B. King and Buddy Guy, and being lauded by U.S. News and World Report for having “the voice of a grizzled blues veteran … and guitar skills to match.”

Now, after 15 years on the road - at the ripe old age of 30 – this seasoned musician is raising a family, working on a new CD, and touring with a show that encompasses both the depth and range of the blues but also its relationship to R&B, soul, rock, gospel, funk and so many other emotionally riveting forms of music.

As always Lang is reaching out to move and strengthen people through music that comes straight from the heart. “No matter what kind of person you are, or what your background is, or what your situation is,” says Lang, “hopefully one of these songs is going to connect to you.”

Submitted by Kathleen Soldati, director of marketing, Music Hall, Portsmouth