JOHN BARDY BIOGRAPHY
Coming out of the rich music scene of his hometown of Detroit and getting time under his belt rambling through other music scenes in Texas, North Carolina, New York and California, John Bardy writes songs that reflect a varied mix of musical styles combined with unique, personal stories. The Blues of Detroit and the vast rural terrain of the south and southwest are represented here. Listening to the epic spaghetti western-styled “You’ve Got To Stand Before The Judge” or the very personal, true ballad of a murder in the family, “Justice Peach” or the groovy, country blues stammer of “Delusion Blues,” you pick up a thread of an artist who has honed a craft and chiseled a path of timeless landscapes informed by a wide breadth of experience and influences that all come to one point.
John comes out of the same Detroit scene that produced The White Stripes,The Gories and The Detroit Cobras. One of the first gigs of his early days was opening for Marshall Crenshaw to a sold-out/hometown crowd at Detroit's popular St. Andrews Hall. He has worked with Detroit luminaries Steve King (writer/producer/engineer/musician/Grammy winner with Eminem, Aretha Franklin, Bob Seger), Poet/Radical John Sinclair (former manager and Guru of the MC5) and Legendary Motown Drummer, James Gadson. John has shared bills with other well-known artists, including Sixto Rodriguez, Jimmie Vaughn, W.C. Clark, Marcia Ball and Buick 6 with Lucinda Williams.
After some time playing around Austin,Texas and surrounding areas in the mid 00’s, John moved to southern California. While playing in clubs around Los Angeles, John started working with Drummer Butch Norton (Lucinda Williams, Eels,Tracey Chapman) and Bassist David Sutton, both of the Lucinda Williams Band. The three formed a tight unit, playing numerous live dates at The Hotel Cafe, The Troubadour, Pappy & Harriets (in Joshua Tree), and making a record together--John’s release, “The Keys to Your Heart,” produced by John (with Butch Norton)
John returned to Texas in 2020 and has been playing as "Musician-In-Residence" for the last 4 years at the famous Luckenbach Texas in the Hill Country, as regular daytime host of the “Open Pickers Circle." He also appeared on the bill for the 4th time at the Luckenbach Texas Blues Festival (January 2024) with a band comprised of Austin players, Jonny Keys (keyboards) and Drew Scherger (bass), both of Uncle Lucius and Mark Hays (drums) of “The Little Elmore Reed Blues Band." With this band in tow, John is currently booking dates in and around Austin.
Here’s what Singer-Songwriter/Producer/Audio Engineer and Host of Z107.7 Joshua Tree Local Music Showcase, Pat Kearns had to say when introducing John for Pat’s video series, “The Solar Cabin Sessions:"
“John's songs are steeped in the desert, the whole American desert, not only The Mojave. This is surprising because John is originally from Detroit, Michigan, and he plays the guitar like he only owned one album during his formative years. That album would be Robert Johnson's The Complete Recordings.Now don't get the impression that John's music is one dimensional, old timey or even that he plays the blues. That would be pinning him in and it would be inaccurate, unfair, and far underestimating the depth of his songs. John Bardy is a much more interesting, mercurial and unpredictable songwriter than the average Delta Blues regurgitator. But, like Robert Johnson, John Bardy's music is deeply personal, uncommonly universal, and mysterious.The song that John Bardy plays for The Solar Cabin Sessions comes right out of the southern blues tradition. It's a murder ballad. But with John Bardy, as I pointed out, it's personal. It's real. And tragically, it's about family. The song is called Justice Peach and it details John's experience as a child of hearing news on the family’s car radio about a murder on the highway. Young John was in the car with his mother who remarked that John's uncle lived near the incident. Later that day, they learned he was one of the victims in a killing spree. The song goes much deeper than just the murder. It delves into the other lives we lead; lives that are secret from even those closest to you.”
“John is a great talent!” --Legendary drummer, songwriter/Producer, James Gadson (Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye, Etta James, Aretha Franklin etc)