JEFF LANG

Jeff Lang born in 1969 became interested in music at age eight, when he started playing the clarinet. His early influences were AC/DC, Bob Dylan, Leo Kottke, Ry Cooder, Roy Buchanan and Neil Young. As a teen, Lang began to learn guitar and commenced performing as a blues guitarist at 17, supporting artists like Albert Collins, Rory Gallagher and Trudy Lynn. His musical vocabulary expanded to include traditional Celtic and folk elements as he began recording his own material in 1990. Along with gigs in local blues bands, Lang formed The Jeff Lang Band as a showcase for his songwriting skills. The band disbanded in 1993 and he concentrated on playing solo shows. Lang said the band disbandment was a "purely instinctive decision" and one he's never looked back from.

In 1994, Lang self-released his debut studio album titled, 'Ravenswood', which was followed by a live recording titled 'Disturbed Folk' in 1995. In 1996, Lang released 'Native Dog Creek' on Black Market Music. The album was named Best Australian Blues Album in Rhythms Magazine's readers poll. In 1998, Lang released his third studio album titled, 'Cedar Grove', which was nominated for ARIA Award for Best Blues and Roots Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 1999. In 1999, Lang released a limited-edition album titled, 'The Silverbacks with Hat Fitz'.

In 2001, Lang released 'Everything Is Still' with Angus Diggs. The album was again nominated for ARIA Award for Best Blues and Roots Album at the ARIA Music Awards of 2001. In 2002, Lang joined Bob Brozman and collaborated again with Diggs on the album 'Rolling Through This World'. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2002, the album, won the ARIA Award for Best Blues and Roots Album, Lang's first win. In July 2004, Lang released his seventh studio album 'Whatever Makes You Happy', his first on ABC Music. The album, became his first album to reach the ARIA top 100, peaking at #91.

In 2005, Lang released 'You Have to Dig Deep to Bury Daddy' on ABC Classics. Lang said "There are a couple of instrumental things on this album that were actually recorded some years ago. They were in the background for possible inclusion on other albums. Specifically, tracks like 'And All the Snow Melted' and 'I'm Not the One Sweating Like They Just Told Me a Lie'.. had a darker mood. They didn't seem to fit on the last record. So what I did this time around was, I put them on the table first. I wanted to use these instrumental pieces. So I started with them and recorded stuff with that in mind."

In August 2006, Lang collaborated with Chris Whitley and released 'Dislocation Blues'. The album peaked at #64 on the ARIA Charts. 'Half Seas Over' was released in 2008 and 'Chimeradour' in 2009. All three albums were released on ABC Roots and all nominated for ARIA Awards. Chris Whitley passed away in November of 2005. In 2009, Lang collaborated with Mamadou Diabate and Bobby Singh on the album 'Djan Djan'. The album which was released in 2010. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2010, the album won ARIA Award for Best World Music Album. In 2011, Lang released 'Carried in Mind'. In 2012, Lang was presented with the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's National Folk Recording Award.  Also in 2012, Lang added vocals to Maru Tarang's album 'Blue City'.

In May 2014, Lang released the soundtrack to the TV series The Gods of Wheat Street. This won Lang his first APRA Award at the APRA Music Awards of 2014, where he won Best Television Theme. In 2019, Lang released 'Next They Come for Yo'u, on LP. The album is an instrumental recording featuring Lang and his regular drummer Danny McKenna playing music they wrote together without restrictions, constraints.

In 2020, Lang released the book Some Memories Never Die. Lang said "For Some Memories Never Die I wanted to connect recollections from the life I've lived to some of the songs I've made up along the way. I wasn't looking to write a linear autobiography, with my life's journey laid out in order of occurrence, more a series of stand-alone vignettes was what I had in mind. I wasn't sure exactly how a good many of these tales could be connected to the songs I intended to include, as I don't generally write autobiographical songs. But as I wrote down the varied reminiscences, certain stories seemed to go together and themes became apparent to me. Gradually it all seemed to find its form, and Some Memories Never Die is the end result."

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Lang