A native of the Pacific Northwest, John picked up his cousin’s acoustic guitar when he was 14, fell in love with the blues, The Beatles and the beat poets, and began composing his own tunes. He writes in a rootsy Americana style, etching out narrative character sketches rich in visual imagery and observation. These characters might be a vagabond, steel worker, a poet, out of work drifter, ‘47 woody or a waitress from a small town diner. Themes explored include wanderlust, jilted love, transformation, dreams and hope. Influences include Townes van Zandt, Guy Clark, Jimmy Reed, Freddy King, Tim Hardin, Ron Davies, Muddy Waters, The Beatles, Bob Dylan and Picasso.
John’s new CD, Tengo Ranchito (May 2007) offers listeners a mix of folk, blues and country textures with 13 originals and one cover. Featuring acoustic guitars, fiddle, Dobro, and harmony vocals and backed by ace musicians Alice Stuart, Jeff Simmons (Frank Zappa), Chris Leighton (Bill Frisell, Laura Love), Jon Parry (Hank Williams Jr., Danny Barnes) and Orville Johnson these tunes come alive. From honky-tonk piano to blues inflected slide guitars, to the Appalachian sounds of Dobro & fiddle on “Light On the Shoreâ€, the arrangements underscore the stories without overwhelming them. Accordion and nylon string guitar add texture to “Sail Away†and Hammond B-3 organ backs several cuts including the classic “Satisfied Mindâ€.
Other CD’s by Nelson include Soliloquy, a record of tasteful instrumental guitar music inspired by weekly visits at Children’s Hospital in Seattle. In 2003 his song Lindsey was selected for the NW Harvest benefit CD: A Night Of Song For World Harmony. This live concert and recording featured 17 rising Northwest singer-songwriters. A duo record, Coast Bound Train, was released in 2005 with guitarist/songwriter Max Schwennsen, an alumni of The Atlanta Rhythm Section and Doug Kershaw’s band.
John Nelson is also an engineer/producer of note, having worked with many artists including blues great Guitar Shorty, jazz bassist Gary Peacock, Gypsy musicians Inti Illimani, Grammy nominated African master King Sunny Ade and folk musician Brian Bowers.
