JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR

West Midlands prodigy Joanne Shaw Taylor has gone from being one of the most exciting blues newcomers and lead guitarist in Annie Lennox’s. That said, she hasn’t forgotten where she came from, swearing by her very first electric (a 1966 Fender Esquire bought on Denmark Street) above all else. “I don’t think I’m a traditionalist, but I wouldn’t say that I’m pushing boundaries like Jack White,” she once admitted. “I think I’m a mixture of influences. I’m not predominantly a blues player, but obviously that’s a huge influence on me. There’s the rock and classic rock – Free, Paul Kossoff, Gary Moore, Clapton and all kinds of 60s stuff. It gives you a nice wide area to draw from. As a songwriter, I listen to a lot of different stuff –soul, Prince, Motown. I try to include everything into my style.”