John Pearse
Encyclopedia
John Pearse was a British
guitarist
, folk
singer and music educator, who came to prominence in the 1960s presenting the popular BBC2 television guitar tuition series, Hold Down a Chord.
in Yorkshire
, but grew up in Prestatyn
in north Wales
where his father ran a hotel. In his teens he played the guitar and banjo in a Jazz band, then moved to London
in the 1950s where he made a living as a guitar teacher and musician. He learnt to play Piedmont style
guitar (a form of fingerstyle) after hearing Big Bill Broonzy
, who toured Europe in 1957. Pearse went on to write his first guitar tutor, "Teach Yourself Folk Guitar" (comprising an album
and instructional booklet) at the age of 19.
While playing in the clubs he was spotted by a BBC television producer who invited him to write and present a guitar tuition series for the newly-created BBC TV channel BBC2. This became "Hold Down a Chord", a ten-part course for beginners, first broadcast in 1965, with accompanying instructional book and LP
. It was shown in many countries and taught viewers the rudiments of fingerstyle guitar as played by guitarists such as Mississippi John Hurt
, Big Bill Broonzy
and Reverend Gary Davis
. This was a timely series due to the ongoing British folk revival
and the popularity of singer/songwriters and guitarists like Bob Dylan
. Amongst the many inspired by Pearse was a young Martin Carthy
who went on to become a major figure in the UK Folk
scene.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Pearse was much in demand as a studio session musician and record producer for several companies. He continued to write tuition books for the guitar and other stringed instruments. He became well-known in Germany, headlining folk festivals and described by the weekly magazine Stern
as "the nation’s guitar teacher". In 1978 he moved to the USA, where he designed products for the Martin Guitar Company
. After leaving Martin he founded Breezy Ridge Instruments, along with Mary Faith Rhoads, in order to market his line of guitar strings and other guitar accessories.
In 1983, a medical error during a myelogram procedure left him paralysed from the neck down and threatened to finish his career. Astonishingly, after years of intensive physical therapy, he was able to walk again and relearnt how to play the guitar. In 1986 he presented the series Cooking with Wine for American television (the accompanying book became a best-seller) and in 1987 another guitar tuition series, "String Along".
In 2002 he settled with his family in Besigheim
, Germany, drawn there by the surrounding wine-growing region. He lived there until his death in 2008 following some years of ill-health. He was survived by his wife Linda, his adopted son, and his former wife and longtime business partner Mary Faith Rhoads.
His track 'Basic Plucking Of The Ballad Lick' is using as a sample in the Lemon Jelly
's song 'The Staunton Lick' from the album Lemonjelly.ky
.
Pearse also featured on the following compilations:
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer and music educator, who came to prominence in the 1960s presenting the popular BBC2 television guitar tuition series, Hold Down a Chord.
Life and career
He was born in HookHook, East Riding of Yorkshire
Hook is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately north east of Goole town centre and lies on the west bank of the River Ouse.According to the 2001 UK census, Hook parish had a population of 1,141....
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, but grew up in Prestatyn
Prestatyn
Prestatyn is a seaside resort, town and community in Denbighshire, North Wales. It is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. At the 2001 Census, Prestatyn had a population of 18,496.-Prehistory:...
in north Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
where his father ran a hotel. In his teens he played the guitar and banjo in a Jazz band, then moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in the 1950s where he made a living as a guitar teacher and musician. He learnt to play Piedmont style
Piedmont blues
Piedmont blues refers primarily to a guitar style, the Piedmont fingerstyle, which is characterized by a fingerpicking approach in which a regular, alternating thumb bass string rhythmic pattern supports a syncopated melody using the treble strings generally picked with the fore-finger,...
guitar (a form of fingerstyle) after hearing Big Bill Broonzy
Big Bill Broonzy
Big Bill Broonzy was a prolific American blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. His career began in the 1920s when he played country blues to mostly black audiences. Through the ‘30s and ‘40s he successfully navigated a transition in style to a more urban blues sound popular with white audiences...
, who toured Europe in 1957. Pearse went on to write his first guitar tutor, "Teach Yourself Folk Guitar" (comprising an album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
and instructional booklet) at the age of 19.
While playing in the clubs he was spotted by a BBC television producer who invited him to write and present a guitar tuition series for the newly-created BBC TV channel BBC2. This became "Hold Down a Chord", a ten-part course for beginners, first broadcast in 1965, with accompanying instructional book and LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
. It was shown in many countries and taught viewers the rudiments of fingerstyle guitar as played by guitarists such as Mississippi John Hurt
Mississippi John Hurt
John Smith Hurt, better known as Mississippi John Hurt was an American country blues singer and guitarist.Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt taught himself how to play the guitar around age nine...
, Big Bill Broonzy
Big Bill Broonzy
Big Bill Broonzy was a prolific American blues singer, songwriter and guitarist. His career began in the 1920s when he played country blues to mostly black audiences. Through the ‘30s and ‘40s he successfully navigated a transition in style to a more urban blues sound popular with white audiences...
and Reverend Gary Davis
Reverend Gary Davis
Reverend Gary Davis, also Blind Gary Davis, was an American blues and gospel singer and guitarist, who was also proficient on the banjo and harmonica...
. This was a timely series due to the ongoing British folk revival
British folk revival
The British folk revival incorporates a number of movements for the collection, preservation and performance of traditional music in the United Kingdom and related territories and countries, which had origins as early as the 18th century...
and the popularity of singer/songwriters and guitarists like Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
. Amongst the many inspired by Pearse was a young Martin Carthy
Martin Carthy
Martin Carthy MBE is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon and later artists such as Richard Thompson since he emerged as a young musician in the early days...
who went on to become a major figure in the UK Folk
British folk revival
The British folk revival incorporates a number of movements for the collection, preservation and performance of traditional music in the United Kingdom and related territories and countries, which had origins as early as the 18th century...
scene.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Pearse was much in demand as a studio session musician and record producer for several companies. He continued to write tuition books for the guitar and other stringed instruments. He became well-known in Germany, headlining folk festivals and described by the weekly magazine Stern
Stern (magazine)
Stern is a weekly news magazine published in Germany. It was founded in 1948 by Henri Nannen, and is currently published by Gruner + Jahr, a subsidiary of Bertelsmann. In the first quarter of 2006, its print run was 1.019 million copies and it reached 7.84 million readers according to...
as "the nation’s guitar teacher". In 1978 he moved to the USA, where he designed products for the Martin Guitar Company
C. F. Martin & Company
C.F. Martin & Company is a US guitar manufacturer established in 1833 by Christian Frederick Martin. Martin is highly regarded for its steel-string guitars, and is a leading mass manufacturer of flattop acoustics with models that retail for thousands of dollars and vintage instruments that often...
. After leaving Martin he founded Breezy Ridge Instruments, along with Mary Faith Rhoads, in order to market his line of guitar strings and other guitar accessories.
In 1983, a medical error during a myelogram procedure left him paralysed from the neck down and threatened to finish his career. Astonishingly, after years of intensive physical therapy, he was able to walk again and relearnt how to play the guitar. In 1986 he presented the series Cooking with Wine for American television (the accompanying book became a best-seller) and in 1987 another guitar tuition series, "String Along".
In 2002 he settled with his family in Besigheim
Besigheim
Besigheim is a municipality in the district of Ludwigsburg in Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany.It is situated 13 km north of Ludwigsburg at the confluence of the Neckar and Enz rivers. The town has many old buildings and a town hall that dates back to 1459...
, Germany, drawn there by the surrounding wine-growing region. He lived there until his death in 2008 following some years of ill-health. He was survived by his wife Linda, his adopted son, and his former wife and longtime business partner Mary Faith Rhoads.
His track 'Basic Plucking Of The Ballad Lick' is using as a sample in the Lemon Jelly
Lemon Jelly
Lemon Jelly is a British electronic music duo from London, formed in 1998. Since their inception, the band's line-up has included Fred Deakin and Nick Franglen. Lemon Jelly has been nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and BRIT Awards....
's song 'The Staunton Lick' from the album Lemonjelly.ky
Lemonjelly.KY
Lemonjelly.ky is the debut album release by downtempo/trip-hop act Lemon Jelly. Released on 23 October 2000, it is a compilation release, as all nine tracks from this album originated on the duo's first three limited edition EPs: The Bath, The Yellow and The Midnight, although minor changes were...
.
Discography
- Rap-A-Tap-Tap (English Folk Songs Miss Pringle Never Taught Us) (Folklore, 1960) — with Frank Purslow
- Teach Yourself Folk Guitar (Saga, 1963) (LPLP albumThe LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
and instructional booklet) - John Pearse, (Xtra, 1965)
- Folk 66 (ARC, 1966) - with Colin Wilkie and Shirley Hart
- Hold down a Chord: Folk Guitar for Beginners (BBC Records, 1967) (LPLP albumThe LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
) - Guitar Train (Metronome, 1968) (German re-release of John Pearse from 1965)
- Blues, Rags & Raga (DaCamera, 1972)
- Travelling Man (Songbird, 1975)
- Alive and Well...and Living in America (Underdog Records, 1980)
- Together (Underdog Records, 1980) - with Mary Faith Rhoads
- Live! At Kutztown (Shubb, 2002)
- The Lost 1966 Waldeck Audition (Bear Family, 2010)
Pearse also featured on the following compilations:
- Makaber macht lustig (Xenophon, 1967) (“Down in the Valley”, “As I Went out one Morning”)
- Chanson & Folk Supersession, Volume 1 (Intercord Xenophon, 1975) (“Cocaine”)
- Chanson & Folk Supersession, Volume 2 (Intercord Xenophon, 1975) (“Down in the Valley”)
- Burg Waldeck Festival 1967 – Chanson, Folklore International (Studio Wedemark, 2004) (“Cocaine”)
- Die Burg Waldeck Festivals 1964-1969 (Bear Family, 2008) (“The Shoemaker's Kiss” with Shirley Hart, “The Bonnie Lass O'Fyvie” with Colin Wilkie, “It's of a Little Taylor”, “As I Went out one Morning”, “Cocaine”, “McGee's Jig”, “Oh Baby, It Ain't no Lie”)
- Contemporary Folk Guitar (CAMBRA records, 1982) (“McGee's Rag”, “Guitar Train”)
External links
- Interview (NAMM website)
- Tributes to John Pearse
- McGee's Rag (Classic John Pearse composition performed on YouTube)