Jon Gordon Langseth Jr. (born January 29, 1981), known as Jonny Lang, is an American
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
,
gospel
Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
,
rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist.
He has recorded five albums that have charted on the top 50 of the
''Billboard'' 200 chart and won a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
for ''Turn Around''.
Biography
Jonny Lang was born Jon Gordon Langseth Jr. in
Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the List of cities in North Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County, North Dakota, Cass County. The population was 125,990 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, which was e ...
and is of Norwegian descent.
He started playing the guitar for his friends at age 12. He played a wide variety of music. He also performed a rendition of
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...
's version of the
National Anthem. Soon after his father took him to see the Bad Medicine Blues Band, one of the few blues bands in Fargo, Lang started taking guitar lessons from Ted Larsen, the band's guitar player. Several months after Lang began, he joined the band, which was then renamed Kid Jonny Lang & The Big Bang. Two years later,
A&M Records
A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...
, who had signed
Janet Jackson and
Soundgarden, was invited to come to see him at a live performance at Bunkers Bar in Minneapolis, and he was signed to the label in 1996, becoming the latest in a trend of young blues guitarists that then included
Kenny Wayne Shepherd and
Derek Trucks.
The band moved to
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
, and independently released the album ''
Smokin when Lang was 14.
He released ''
Lie to Me'' on January 28, 1997 and its title track would go on to become his most successful.
The next album, ''
Wander this World'', was released on October 20, 1998, and earned a Grammy nomination. This was followed by the more soulful ''Long Time Coming'' on October 14, 2003. Lang also made a cover of
Edgar Winter's "Dying to Live". Lang's 2006 album, the gospel-influenced ''
Turn Around'', won him his first
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
.
In his earliest performing years, Lang always performed
barefoot on stage because "it feels good" and once in tribute to
Luther Allison, a friend who had recently died. He has since given up that practice, after several near-accidents and electric shocks.
Lang made a cameo appearance in the 1998 film ''
Blues Brothers 2000,'' as a janitor. In 1999, he was selected by the newly elected Minnesota Governor
Jesse Ventura
Jesse Ventura (born James George Janos; July 15, 1951) is an American politician, political commentator, actor, media personality, and retired professional wrestler. After achieving fame in the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), he ...
. Later that year, he was invited to play at the
White House for
President Bill Clinton and the first lady,
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
. In 2004,
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...
asked Lang to play at the
Crossroads Guitar Festival to raise money for the Crossroads Centre Antigua. In more than ten years on the road, Lang has toured with many notable artists such as
the Rolling Stones,
Buddy Guy,
Beth Hart,
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...
,
B.B. King,
Blues Traveler,
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023) was an English musician. He rose to prominence as the guitarist of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, ...
and
Sting.
Lang also appears regularly as a part of the Experience Hendrix Tour, along with many other well-known guitarists to pay tribute to the deceased guitar legend.
On September 17, 2013, Lang released his first studio album in seven years, ''Fight for My Soul''.
''Signs'' was released on September 1, 2017 in Europe, and on September 8, in North America.
On January 12, 2021, it was announced that all confirmed concert dates were canceled until further notice because of a medical issue that affects Lang's singing.
Musical equipment
Jonny Lang, since the beginning with The Big Bang, has used a 1972
Fender Telecaster Thinline made by the Fender Custom Shop, as well as a 1958 reissue custom shop
Gibson Les Paul in more recent years as his sound and style have grown and flourished. His original Custom Shop Tele - with a black flamed maple top, flamed maple neck, pearl signature inlay and his trademark pinup girl character on the aft body was stolen some years ago. He has added a couple more custom thin-line teles-all carrying the basic aesthetic motif, but with varying colors from a burnt orange/amber to a deep violet throughout the years since. The 1972 Fender Telecaster Thin line is a semi-hollow spruce body, maple top, and a maple neck and fretboard. He has not, however, sported the pearl "Jonny Lang" signature inlay since his original custom tele, but still stays true to his WWII-style pinup girl at body artwork. Jonny's Telecasters have three
Bill Lawrence Pickups (L500 Neck, L500XL Bridge) with a 5-way pickup switch and a coil tap for accessing a single-coil tone. On his pedalboard for his 2014 tour was the Analog Man
King of Tone, a Whirlwind The Bomb boost, a Visual Sound V2 Route 808, a
Fulltone Ultimate Octave, a JAM Pedals Tube Dreamer, and a
Boss AW-3 Dynamic Wah. On this tour, he played his Custom Shop Tele and the 1958 reissue Custom Shop Gibson Les Paul through a pair of modified Fender ’65
Deluxe Reverb amps.
Lang also used an Arbiter
Fuzz Face and an
Electro-Harmonix POG for The Experience Hendrix tour. Lang has also used Audio tech Guitar Products ABC Selector CCM on his 2005 acoustic tour.
The guitar featured on the cover of ''Lie to Me'' is not a Telecaster but an original Fender
Esquire. Upon filming the music video for the title track "Lie to Me" which took place in a San Francisco music store, the store owner suggested Lang play the Esquire in the video. Lang fell in love with the guitar and it was purchased and given to him as a gift. He continues to use it, but not as often as his Custom Shop Telecaster and Signature Series Les Paul.
Band personnel
From 1993 to 1996, Lang's backing band was the Big Bang. This group consisted of three founding members of the Bad Medicine Blues Band: Ted "Lightnin' Boy" Larsen on guitar, his brother Michael Rey Larsen on drums, and Jeff Hayenga on bass. Keyboardist Bruce McCabe joined The Big Bang in 1995 after Lang and this young band from Fargo impressed him with their set opening for McCabe's band at the time, The Hoopsnakes.
From 1996 to 2004, Lang's backing band included Paul Diethelm on guitar, Bruce McCabe on keyboards, Doug Nelson on bass and Billy Thommes on drums. Also appearing on keyboards during 2003 and 2004 was Donnie La Marca, filling in for McCabe during his break from touring. Nelson was killed in a traffic accident in 2000 and was replaced by Billy Franze. Franze was in turn replaced by Jim Anton in 2003. Saxophone player
David Eiland was added in 2000, providing Lang with a foil for extended instrumental jams. In 2005, Lang replaced the entire lineup, except for Anton, and embarked on an acoustic tour. He performed with Wendy Alane Wright at the 2000 pre-Grammy party. Guitarist
Reeve Carney was the band's opening act for several shows in 2005, as well as for the 2006 and 2007 tours.
The recent band lineup includes Barry Alexander from Minneapolis on drums, Jim Anton from Minneapolis on bass, Akil Thompson from Nashville on rhythm guitar, Dwan Hill from Nashville on keys, Missi Hale from Los Angeles on background vocals.
As of 2017, Lang's band line up was Barry Alexander on drums, Jim Anton on bass, Tyrus Sass on keyboards and Zane Carney on rhythm guitar.
Personal life
Family
Lang married former ''
Kids Incorporated'' cast member Haylie Johnson on June 8, 2001, making him the brother-in-law of actress
Ashley Johnson. Lang and his wife share the same birthday, although she is one year older. They live in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and have five children.
Lang has two older sisters, Stephanie and Heidi Jo. He has one younger sister, Jessica "Jesse" Langseth, who was a contestant on season 8 of ''
American Idol''.
Conversion to Christianity
Lang became a
Christian in 2000.
In an interview with
Sara Groves in ''
Christianity Today'', Lang gave details about his conversion, assuring her that he had had a supernatural experience with the
Holy Ghost.
In his own words, he has said that he formerly "hated
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
" and "despised the things of God", but now he wants to share with others about
Jesus
Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...
' love.
The songs "Only a Man" and "Thankful" from his album ''
Turn Around'', are about his belief in God. He has also co-written a couple of songs with
contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music (CCM), also known as Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music, is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christianity, Chri ...
artist
Steven Curtis Chapman, notably "My Love Remains".
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Smokin (1995)
* ''
Lie to Me'' (1997)
* ''
Wander This World'' (1998)
* ''
Long Time Coming'' (2003)
* ''
Turn Around'' (2006)
* ''
Fight for My Soul'' (2013)
* ''
Signs'' (2017)
Live albums
* ''Live at the Ryman'' (2009)
Guest appearances
* 1997: ''
A Very Special Christmas 3'' album - by various artists, performed on track "
Santa Claus Is Back in Town".
* 1998: ''
Blues Brothers 2000'' original soundtrack - by various artists, performed on track "634–5789".
* 1998: ''Heavy Love'' album - by
Buddy Guy, performed on track "Midnight Train".
* 1999: ''
Loud Guitars, Big Suspicions'' album - by
Shannon Curfman, performed on multiple tracks and co-wrote "Love Me Like That".
* 1999: ''
For Love of the Game'' original soundtrack, performed on track "
Paint It Black".
* 2000: ''It Ain't Nothin' But the Blues'' original cast recording, performed on tracks "Someone Else is Steppin' In" and "The Thrill is Gone".
* 2000: ''This Time Around'' album by
Hanson, performed on tracks "You Never Know," "Runaway Run," and "Hand in Hand."
* 2000: ''
Milk Cow Blues'' album - by
Willie Nelson, performed on tracks "Rainy Day Blues" and "
Ain't Nobody's Business".
* 2001: ''Been a Long Time'' album - by
Double Trouble, performed on track "Ground Hog Day" with
Gordie Johnson of
Big Sugar.
* 2001: ''Ash Wednesday Blues'' album - by
Anders Osborne, performed on tracks "Snake Bit Again", "Soul Livin'", "Me & Lola", "Aim Way High", and "Improvise".
* 2004: ''All Things New'' album - by
Steven Curtis Chapman, performed on track "Only Getting Started".
* 2004: ''Eric Clapton: Crossroads Guitar Festival'', performed on track "Give Me Up Again".
* 2005: ''
Possibilities'' album - by
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of ...
, performed on track "
When Love Comes to Town" with
Joss Stone.
* 2007: ''
A Deeper Level'' album - by
Israel Houghton, performed on track "You Are Not Forgotten".
* 2009: ''
Oh Happy Day'' album - by various artists, performed on track "I Believe" with the
Fisk Jubilee Singers Lang performed the song live on
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on April 16, 2009.
* 2009: ''
Lines, Vines and Trying Times'' album - by
Jonas Brothers, performed on track "Hey Baby".
* 2010: ''Up Close'' album - by
Eric Johnson, performed on track "Austin".
* 2010: ''What We Want, What We Get'' album - by
Dave Barnes, performed on track "What I Need".
* 2010: ''6 String Theory'' album - by
Lee Ritenour, performed on track "Why I Sing The Blues" with B.B. King and Vince Gill.
* 2010: ''
Memphis Blues'' album - by
Cyndi Lauper, performed on tracks "How Blue Can You Get?" and "Crossroads".
* 2010: ''
Guitar Heaven: The Greatest Guitar Classics of All Time'' album - by
Santana
Santana may refer to:
Transportation
* Volkswagen Santana, an automobile
* Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles
* Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer
* Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp
** Santana 20
** Santan ...
, performed on track "I Ain't Superstitious".
* 2010: ''
Eric Clapton: Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010'' album - by various artists, performed on tracks "
Five Long Years" and "
Miss You" with
Buddy Guy and
Ronnie Wood.
* 2011: ''
ZZ Top: A Tribute from Friends'' album - by various artists, performed on track "
Sharp Dressed Man" as the M.O.B. with
Mick Fleetwood,
Steven Tyler and
John McVie
John Graham McVie (; born 26 November 1945) is a British bass guitarist. He is best known as a member of the rock bands John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers from 1964 to 1967 and Fleetwood Mac since 1967. His surname, combined with that of drummer ...
.
* 2012: ''Featuring Mato Nanji'' album - by Indigenous, performed on track "Free Yourself, Free Your Mind".
* 2012: ''Show Me Love'' album - by V Reyes, performed on track "Man Enough", also featuring Tim Lang.
* 2013: ''Still Climbing'' album - by Leslie West, performed on track "When a Man Loves a Woman."
Filmography
* 1997: ''
Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' - 1 episode, uncredited performer
* 1998: ''
Blues Brothers 2000'' - the custodian
* 1998: ''
The Drew Carey Show'' - episode "
In Ramada Da Vida" (
cameo)
* 2008: ''Jonny Lang Live at
Montreux 1999'' DVD
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lang, Jonny
1981 births
20th-century American male singers
20th-century American singers
21st-century American male singers
21st-century American singers
American blues guitarists
American male guitarists
American blues singers
American gospel singers
Converts to Christianity
Grammy Award winners
Living people
Singers from North Dakota
People from Fargo, North Dakota
Songwriters from North Dakota
20th-century American guitarists
21st-century American guitarists
Guitarists from North Dakota
American people of Norwegian descent
American male songwriters
Provogue Records artists