PADDY MILNER

BIO

“Impressive & original” The Times, UK

“Dazzling” The Independent, UK

“10/10…something out of the ordinary to celebrate! Every song is a standout track.”
Blues In Britain, on ‘The Curious Case of Paddy Milner’

“Milner represents a new direction in blues and jazz” Blues Free Press

“I love it…there’s a guy who can really play the piano” Dave Brubeck

“I highly recommend it. Somehow things start to feel much better!” Jack Bruce

“Like James Booker on acid” Jon Cleary

BIO
Paddy Milner is not only recognised as one of the leading blues piano players in the world (he is currently keyboard player of choice for SIR TOM JONES , following several years with the late great JACK BRUCE), but also as a superb original songwriter and distinctive singer. Just read the praise from the likes of Dave Brubeck! His current group LONDONOLA plays homegrown British music with a strong dose of New Orleans spirit, and his collaborative group JAWBONE has released their debut album and is building a strong following. He has won the award for BEST KEYBOARD PLAYER in the British Blues Awards twice. His solo shows are a pianistic tour-de-force, transporting the audience on a journey embracing traditional Boogie-Woogie, Blues & New Orleans styles, multi-faceted improvisation and the art of song.

Milner began his career playing in Dorset pubs in his early teens. At the age of 13 Milner performed an original boogie composition in a local music competition, impressing a judge – Pretenders/Paul McCartney guitarist Robbie McIntosh. McIntosh became a great mentor and bought Milner his first Little Feat album, a defining moment. Continuing to absorb blues & boogie, which will always remain a fundamental part of his music, Milner also explored jazz, classical music and played in his father’s folk band. Later on, he was to learn from the masters including duetting with the legendary Jonnie Johnson and learning from Jon Cleary in New Orleans. Milner remembers his father introducing him to the music of the likes of Jack Bruce, with whom Milner regularly toured with until Bruce’s death in 2014.

THE ALBUMS

Milner burst onto the scene in his own right at aged 19 with his debut album ‘21st Century Boogie’. The album garnered international accolades within the blues world and beyond, with The Times calling it ‘Impressive & original’. Paul Jones quickly became a champion of Milner and a live session on Jones’s BBC Radio 2 show helped to earn him a nomination for a Sony Radio Award. Milner’s next album, Walking On Eggshells achieved No.1 in the official French Jazz/Blues charts and a high level of airplay and exposure throughout Europe. The album was co-written with iconic Cream lyricist Pete Brown and subsequently signed by industry mogul Gerry Bron to Bronze Records. Dave Brubeck himself became a fan of Milner’s arrangement of Brubeck’s ‘Unsquare Dance’. Milner’s third album, ‘Based On A True Story’, was also very well received and took Paddy around the UK, Europe, Turkey and to the U.S. to perform on the prestigious ‘Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruise’ alongside the most revered legends of the blues world. Milner was invited to record his fourth album ‘The Curious Case of Paddy Milner’ in Paris by Ray Charles’ musical director Jean-Michel Bernard after he heard Milner’s music on French radio. The album delves deeper into a roots driven sound and shows his love of the blues combined with a whole hearted embrace of popular song. It is as much inspired by Brian Wilson’s melodic pop symphonies as it is traditional blues.

COLLABORATIONS

Milner has performed with Tom Jones, Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Van Morrison, Eric Burdon + many others. He is a co-founder of the Ronnie Scott’s Blues Explosion which enjoys a monthly residency at the legendary Ronnie Scott’s Club in London. Milner and his band ‘The Big Sounds’ collaborated extensively with top U.S. blues/soul singer Earl Thomas producing the excellent self-titled album ‘Earl Thomas with Paddy Milner & The Big Sounds’ along the way.