John O’Leary - Drinking Again

Album: As Blue As I Can Be - John O’Leary is one of the early exponents of the blues harmonica in the UK. Originally from Ireland, John’s family was part of the mass migration to England in the aftermath of World War 2. In London’s thriving jazz clubs of the 1960’s, he first heard blues harp legend Cyril Davies with Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated. John bought his first harp in 1962 and initially learned by watching Davies. Inevitably, he discovered the great masters of the instrument John Lee Williamson, Little Walter, Noah Lewis, Big Walter Horton, James Cotton, Sonny Terry and Junior Wells whose influences are still readily discernible in his playing. John’s career has seen his involvement with a wide range bands and musicians over five decades. Beginning in 1965 as a founder member of Savoy Brown’s Blues Band through to the present day John O’Leary & Sugarkane, he has continued to maintain a prominent position on the European blue