C. W. Stoneking
Encyclopedia
Christopher William Stoneking (born 1974, Katherine, Northern Territory
) is an Australia
n blues singer-songwriter
and guitar
and banjo
player. He currently resides in Bristol
, England and performs across Australia and internationally as a solo artist and with his backing band, the Primitive Horn Orchestra.
To date Stoneking has released two full length albums of his original material, they are King Hokum (first released in 2006 on Low Transit Industries Recordings, re-released on Stoneking's own King Hokum Records label in February 2008) and Jungle Blues (released on King Hokum Records, October 2008).
, Australia in March 1974 and raised by his father in the Aboriginal community of Papunya
(his father is the writer and teacher Billy Marshall Stoneking
), until the age of 9 (1983) when they moved to the inner west suburb of Balmain in Sydney
. He began playing the guitar at the age of 11 and performed in bands from age 13, from age 18 (1991) Stoneking. He performed mostly pre-war acoustic blues styles working mainly as a guitar player.
In 1995 he moved from Sydney to Naroghid in rural Victoria, then in 1997 to Melbourne
and began performing as a solo blues guitarist/singer in the 1920s-30s style. In 1998 he formed a band, The Blue Tits, which consisted of double bass
, clarinet
and mandolin
with Stoneking on guitar and vocals. The band lasted one and a half years and disbanded after the death of the mandolin player. One recording was made of the Blue Tits at Melbourne's 3CR
radio station but it was never commercially released. Stoneking continued to perform as a solo artist. In 2005 he recorded an album of original blues compositions titled King Hokum. The album was received with great critical acclaim in the Australian media after its release in 2006 and in Europe after its 2007 release on the Swiss Voodoo Rhythm Records label. Currently Stoneking tours extensively with his backing band, the Primitive Horn Orchestra.
In 2006, radio presenter Tim Ritchie picked Stoneking's King Hokum as his album of the year on Radio National's
Breakfast
program. Radio National also presented his February 2007 Australia-wide tour. King Hokum was nominated for the Best Blues/Roots Album in the 2007 ARIA Awards and won the Best Independent Blues Release award in the 2007 AIR Awards (Australian Independent Record Industry Awards). In 2008 Stoneking released Jungle Blues, his second album of original compositions. Jungle Blues was nominated for Best Blues/Roots Album, Best Independent Release, Best Male Artist and Best Album Cover Art at the 2009 ARIA Awards. At the fourth annual AIR Awards held on 22 November 2009, Stoneking was nominated for Best Independent Album, Best Independent Blues/ Roots Album, and Independent Artist of the Year, with Jungle Blues winning the award for Best Independent Blues/ Roots Album. Jungle Blues was also shortlisted in the 2008 Australian Music Prize
.
He appeared on 'Later... with Jools Holland' on 5 October 2010, playing "Jungle Lullaby".
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
) is an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n blues singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
player. He currently resides in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England and performs across Australia and internationally as a solo artist and with his backing band, the Primitive Horn Orchestra.
To date Stoneking has released two full length albums of his original material, they are King Hokum (first released in 2006 on Low Transit Industries Recordings, re-released on Stoneking's own King Hokum Records label in February 2008) and Jungle Blues (released on King Hokum Records, October 2008).
Biography
Stoneking was born to American parents in KatherineKatherine, Northern Territory
Katherine is a town situated southeast of Darwin in the "Top End" of Australia in the Northern Territory. It is the fourth largest settlement in the Territory after the capital Darwin, Palmerston and Alice Springs...
, Australia in March 1974 and raised by his father in the Aboriginal community of Papunya
Papunya, Northern Territory
Papunya is a small Indigenous Australian community of about 299 people roughly 240 km northwest of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, Australia...
(his father is the writer and teacher Billy Marshall Stoneking
Billy Marshall Stoneking
Billy Marshall Stoneking is an Australian-American poet, playwright, filmmaker, and teacher. His son C.W. Stoneking is a musician.-Childhood and education:...
), until the age of 9 (1983) when they moved to the inner west suburb of Balmain in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. He began playing the guitar at the age of 11 and performed in bands from age 13, from age 18 (1991) Stoneking. He performed mostly pre-war acoustic blues styles working mainly as a guitar player.
In 1995 he moved from Sydney to Naroghid in rural Victoria, then in 1997 to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and began performing as a solo blues guitarist/singer in the 1920s-30s style. In 1998 he formed a band, The Blue Tits, which consisted of double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
and mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
with Stoneking on guitar and vocals. The band lasted one and a half years and disbanded after the death of the mandolin player. One recording was made of the Blue Tits at Melbourne's 3CR
3CR
3CR is a community radio station that broadcasts on the AM band in Melbourne, Australia. The Community Radio Federation had their broadcasting licence approved on 10 October 1975, by the Minister for the Media, Dr Moss Cass. Test broadcasting begun on 1 May 1976, full operation began 3 July 1976...
radio station but it was never commercially released. Stoneking continued to perform as a solo artist. In 2005 he recorded an album of original blues compositions titled King Hokum. The album was received with great critical acclaim in the Australian media after its release in 2006 and in Europe after its 2007 release on the Swiss Voodoo Rhythm Records label. Currently Stoneking tours extensively with his backing band, the Primitive Horn Orchestra.
In 2006, radio presenter Tim Ritchie picked Stoneking's King Hokum as his album of the year on Radio National's
Radio National
ABC Radio National is an Australia-wide non-commercial radio network run by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.Radio National broadcasts national programming in areas that include news and current affairs, the arts, social issues, science, drama and comedy...
Breakfast
Radio National Breakfast
Radio National Breakfast is a national early morning news programme in Australia. The programme is broadcast live in the eastern states on the ABC Radio National network. It can also be listened to online...
program. Radio National also presented his February 2007 Australia-wide tour. King Hokum was nominated for the Best Blues/Roots Album in the 2007 ARIA Awards and won the Best Independent Blues Release award in the 2007 AIR Awards (Australian Independent Record Industry Awards). In 2008 Stoneking released Jungle Blues, his second album of original compositions. Jungle Blues was nominated for Best Blues/Roots Album, Best Independent Release, Best Male Artist and Best Album Cover Art at the 2009 ARIA Awards. At the fourth annual AIR Awards held on 22 November 2009, Stoneking was nominated for Best Independent Album, Best Independent Blues/ Roots Album, and Independent Artist of the Year, with Jungle Blues winning the award for Best Independent Blues/ Roots Album. Jungle Blues was also shortlisted in the 2008 Australian Music Prize
Australian Music Prize
The Australian Music Prize is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. The award made by Australian Music Prize Ltd, a sole-purpose entity sponsored by a variety of music industry figures and...
.
He appeared on 'Later... with Jools Holland' on 5 October 2010, playing "Jungle Lullaby".
Albums
- C.W. Stoneking (1998)
- C.W. Stoneking & The Blue Tits (live) - independent release (1999)
- Mississippi & Piedmont Blues 1927-1941 - King Hokum Records (2006)
- King Hokum - Low Transit (LTID038) (2 September 2006)
- Jungle BluesJungle Blues (C.W. Stoneking album)Jungle Blues is the fourth album by Australian Hokum Blues musician C. W. Stoneking.In 2009 Stoneking received five ARIA Award nominations, 'Best Blues and Roots Album', 'Best Independent Release', 'Best Male Artist' and 'Best Album Cover Art', eventually wining 'Best Blues and Roots Album' for...
- King Hokum Records (KHR02) (20 October 2008)
Contributions
- Hiram and Huddie - Vol. 1 & 2 - Hillgrass Bluebilly Records (3 March 2009) ("In New Orleans")