Stephen Dale Petit
Encyclopedia
Stephen Dale Petit is a guitarist
, singer, songwriter
, and New Blues
musician.
Petit’s blues guitar
experience started at a young age in California
, and continued through drug addiction, alcoholism
, homelessness, and subsequent recovery. He went from a performer in the London Underground
to a University
lecturer and well-known musician on stage.
In 2009, Petit performed with former Bluesbreakers and Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor
throughout England. The next year he released his second studio album.
On December 1, 2010, Petit put on a benefit show for the 100 Club
which featured special guests Ronnie Wood, Mick Taylor
and Chris Barber
.
and grew up in Huntington Beach, California
which was then a small surf town south of Los Angeles
. At the age of seven, he received his first guitar, an acoustic. Petit could often be spotted at Huntington Beach landmark venue, The Golden Bear, which played host to acts such as Jimi Hendrix
and Bob Dylan
as well as Blues legends Albert King
, B.B. King and John Mayall
. Petit's exposure, from a young age, to some of these seminal artists and guitar talents would have a major impact on his personal creative development and future musical career.
. He also met and briefly jammed with blues titan B.B. King. These were among the first of what would be many notable associations with musical greats including Eric Clapton
and David Gilmour
.
(including The Golden Bear) five nights a week with bands ten years his senior, alongside talents such as Randy Rhoads
.
Major early influences to Petit’s musical style include early Twentieth Century Blues pioneers B.B. King, Freddie King
, Albert King, blues front man Elmore James
(also a favourite of George Harrison
), Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Tampa Red
, Leadbelly
and Son House
. Petit also cites British Blues pioneers Alexis Korner
and Cyril Davies
as having influenced his teenage musical sensibilities.
of the 1960s and 1970s, and by the contrast between the UK and his hometown, Petit moved from California to London
, England
.
Petit believes British blues had as much impact on the genre as that of its African American
pioneers. “The British contribution to the blues, as we sit here in 2007, is equal in my eyes to what Robert Johnson did, Blind Lemon Jefferson
…all of those guys all the way through to Muddy Waters
”.
Petit adds “I think it is a certainty that without the British blues boom the music (blues) would not have anything remotely like the profile it does.”
and Little Venice in Phil May
of the Pretty Thing's “Friends Band”alongside May himself, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd
and Ian Stewart
of The Rolling Stones
.
During this time Petit became acquainted with, and performed with, Eric Clapton. Petit believes Clapton's influence on guitar and blues is immense. He says Clapton builds “solos like a well written speech".
intensively on the London Underground as part of the Transport for London
Licensed Busking Scheme. (Eric Clapton referred to Petit's busking as “really admirable”.) “Knowing that Robert Johnson, B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf, Lonnie Johnson
, Blind Lemon Jefferson etc all did it, made what is essentially doing it the hard way feel like it was the only right way to start” says Petit. Petit soon attracted media attention from BBC
radio and press and television.
“I know from playing below the Astoria that even death metal
heads, goths
, punks…and skateboard kids like the Blues. Sometimes the metal kids upstairs would come down and say ‘you’re better than the band we just paid £15 to see,’ that sort of stuff makes an impression on you.” he states.
as his special guest. On the 26 July 2010, Petit released his second album The Crave
which featured guest appearances from: Mick Taylor, Dick Taylor
and Max Middleton
. Stephen Dale Petit has been featured extensively on national, regional and student radio, including live in-studio sessions & interviews and specially commissioned BBC Radio 2 music sessions.http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006wrpdhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006wqtfhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qrpf
As well as guitar playing, musicology
and musical performance, Petit is a spokesperson for the "New Blues Revolution", which he refers to as "more of a campaign than a career move". Petit feels Blues has faded to the background of the British music consciousness, and so he has promoted the New Blues Revolution, which seeks to restore the Blues to the popularity it experienced during the British Blues Boom of the mid 1960s. Petit says about this restoration, "all that matters to me is that it happens, not who does it".
Academy of Contemporary Music
where he lectured to over 80 students. Petit said of the ACM masterclass: “It’s very fitting that I’m starting my series of talks in the place that produced so many guitar players, such as Eric Clapton. It’s known as the Surrey Delta, like the Mississippi Delta
where blues was widely accepted to have originated.”
Petit gave involved lectures on the blues, its history and its legacy from a musicology perspective. Petit said he aimed to expose “raw, deep blues” to a wider audience. “With these masterclasses I get to share my life’s passion in a more interactive setting, explore this fascinating phenomenon that underpins all modern guitar music and therefore most popular music of the last 100 years”
Petit has played several London venues including The Borderline; The Half Moon, Putney
; 100 Club
, Oxford Street
; and he followed up a Liverpool
gig at the Cavern Club
with a gig at the Zanzibar
Club. Petit has also played The HiFi Club, In April 2008, Petit made his fourth return to 100 Club on Oxford Street, headlining with full band.
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...
, singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, and New Blues
New Blues
New blues is a name given to blues music by artists such as The White Stripes, John Mayer Trio, Seasick Steve, Stephen Dale Petit and The Black Keys, who are bringing the blues to wider popularity in the New Millennium.- The new blues revolution :...
musician.
Petit’s blues guitar
Blues guitar playing
Blues guitar playing is an instrumental technique which is used to accompany the singing of blues music. It often incorporates the use of a slide guitar technique.-History of the blues:...
experience started at a young age in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and continued through drug addiction, alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, homelessness, and subsequent recovery. He went from a performer in the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
to a University
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
lecturer and well-known musician on stage.
In 2009, Petit performed with former Bluesbreakers and Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor
Mick Taylor
Michael Kevin "Mick" Taylor is an English musician, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and The Rolling Stones...
throughout England. The next year he released his second studio album.
On December 1, 2010, Petit put on a benefit show for the 100 Club
100 Club
The 100 Club is a music venue in London situated at 100 Oxford Street, W1, originally called The Feldman Swing Club.The 100 Club attained legendary status in modern British music, having played host to live music since 24 October 1942....
which featured special guests Ronnie Wood, Mick Taylor
Mick Taylor
Michael Kevin "Mick" Taylor is an English musician, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and The Rolling Stones...
and Chris Barber
Chris Barber
Donald Christopher 'Chris' Barber is best known as a jazz trombonist. As well as scoring a UK top twenty trad jazz hit he helped the careers of many musicians, notably the blues singer Ottilie Patterson, who was at one time his wife, and vocalist/banjoist Lonnie Donegan, whose appearances with...
.
Early life
Stephen Dale Petit was born on the West Coast of the United StatesWest Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
and grew up in Huntington Beach, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
which was then a small surf town south of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. At the age of seven, he received his first guitar, an acoustic. Petit could often be spotted at Huntington Beach landmark venue, The Golden Bear, which played host to acts such as Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
and 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...
as well as Blues legends Albert King
Albert King
Albert King was an American blues guitarist and singer, and a major influence in the world of blues guitar playing.-Career:...
, B.B. King and John Mayall
John Mayall
John Mayall, OBE is an English blues singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, whose musical career spans over fifty years...
. Petit's exposure, from a young age, to some of these seminal artists and guitar talents would have a major impact on his personal creative development and future musical career.
Meeting with Albert King and others
As a teenager in Los Angeles, Petit met and was influenced by musician Albert KingAlbert King
Albert King was an American blues guitarist and singer, and a major influence in the world of blues guitar playing.-Career:...
. He also met and briefly jammed with blues titan B.B. King. These were among the first of what would be many notable associations with musical greats including Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
and David Gilmour
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
.
Early California tours and early influences
Petit began his musical career at a young age. By his mid-teens he was performing in bars and clubs across CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(including The Golden Bear) five nights a week with bands ten years his senior, alongside talents such as Randy Rhoads
Randy Rhoads
Randall William "Randy" Rhoads was an American heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. A devoted student of classical guitar, Rhoads often combined his classical music influences with his own heavy metal style. While on tour with Ozzy Osbourne, he would seek out...
.
Major early influences to Petit’s musical style include early Twentieth Century Blues pioneers B.B. King, Freddie King
Freddie King
Freddie King , thought to have been born as Frederick Christian, originally recording as Freddy King, and nicknamed "the Texas Cannonball", was an influential African-American blues guitarist and singer. He is often mentioned as one of "the Three Kings" of electric blues guitar, along with Albert...
, Albert King, blues front man Elmore James
Elmore James
Elmore James was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter and band leader. He was known as "the King of the Slide Guitar" and had a unique guitar style, noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice.-Biography:James was born Elmore Brooks in the old Richland community in...
(also a favourite of George Harrison
George Harrison
George Harrison, MBE was an English musician, guitarist, singer-songwriter, actor and film producer who achieved international fame as lead guitarist of The Beatles. Often referred to as "the quiet Beatle", Harrison became over time an admirer of Indian mysticism, and introduced it to the other...
), Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Tampa Red
Tampa Red
Tampa Red , born Hudson Woodbridge but known from childhood as Hudson Whittaker, was an American Chicago blues musician....
, Leadbelly
Leadbelly
Huddie William Ledbetter was an iconic American folk and blues musician, notable for his strong vocals, his virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the songbook of folk standards he introduced....
and Son House
Son House
Eddie James "Son" House, Jr. was an American blues singer and guitarist. House pioneered an innovative style featuring strong, repetitive rhythms, often played with the aid of slide guitar, and his singing often incorporated elements of southern gospel and spiritual music...
. Petit also cites British Blues pioneers Alexis Korner
Alexis Korner
Alexis Korner was a blues musician and radio broadcaster, who has sometimes been referred to as "a Founding Father of British Blues"...
and Cyril Davies
Cyril Davies
Cyril Davies was one of the first British blues harmonica players and blues musician.-Biography:Born at St Mildred's, 15 Hawthorn Drive, Willowbank, Denham, Buckinghamshire, near London, he was the son of William Albert Davies, a labourer, and his wife Margaret Mary...
as having influenced his teenage musical sensibilities.
Move to the UK and British blues influences
In the mid 1980’s, inspired by the British blues boomBritish blues
British blues is a form of music derived from American blues that originated in the late 1950s and which reached its height of mainstream popularity in the 1960s, when it developed a distinctive and influential style dominated by electric guitar and made international stars of several proponents of...
of the 1960s and 1970s, and by the contrast between the UK and his hometown, Petit moved from California 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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Petit believes British blues had as much impact on the genre as that of its African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
pioneers. “The British contribution to the blues, as we sit here in 2007, is equal in my eyes to what Robert Johnson did, Blind Lemon Jefferson
Blind Lemon Jefferson
"Blind" Lemon Jefferson was an American blues singer and guitarist from Texas. He was one of the most popular blues singers of the 1920s, and has been titled "Father of the Texas Blues"....
…all of those guys all the way through to Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...
”.
Petit adds “I think it is a certainty that without the British blues boom the music (blues) would not have anything remotely like the profile it does.”
Early career in the UK
During his initial years in the UK, Petit toured London's Leicester SquareLeicester Square
Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west...
and Little Venice in Phil May
Phil May (singer)
Phil May is the stage name of an English vocalist...
of the Pretty Thing's “Friends Band”alongside May himself, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
and Ian Stewart
Ian Stewart (musician)
Ian Andrew Robert Stewart was a Scottish keyboardist, co-founder of The Rolling Stones and inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...
of The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
.
During this time Petit became acquainted with, and performed with, Eric Clapton. Petit believes Clapton's influence on guitar and blues is immense. He says Clapton builds “solos like a well written speech".
Busking on the London Underground
In late 2003, Petit began buskingBusking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
intensively on the London Underground as part of the Transport for London
Transport for London
Transport for London is the local government body responsible for most aspects of the transport system in Greater London in England. Its role is to implement the transport strategy and to manage transport services across London...
Licensed Busking Scheme. (Eric Clapton referred to Petit's busking as “really admirable”.) “Knowing that Robert Johnson, B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf, Lonnie Johnson
Lonnie Johnson
Alonzo "Lonnie" Johnson was an American blues and jazz singer/guitarist and songwriter who pioneered the role of jazz guitar and is recognized as the first to play single-string guitar solos...
, Blind Lemon Jefferson etc all did it, made what is essentially doing it the hard way feel like it was the only right way to start” says Petit. Petit soon attracted media attention from BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
radio and press and television.
“I know from playing below the Astoria that even death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
heads, goths
Goth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
, punks…and skateboard kids like the Blues. Sometimes the metal kids upstairs would come down and say ‘you’re better than the band we just paid £15 to see,’ that sort of stuff makes an impression on you.” he states.
Later life
In November 2007 Petit embarked on the BLUnivErSity Tour – travelling across the UK to colleges and universities in order to raise awareness of the genre, and to make The Blues more accessible to young people. In December 2008 Guitar & Bass Magazine (one of the UK's biggest and most widely read guitar publications) named Petit's first album Guitararama in its Top 10 Albums of The Year list. Spring 2009 saw Petit touring the UK with former Rolling Stone Mick TaylorMick Taylor
Michael Kevin "Mick" Taylor is an English musician, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and The Rolling Stones...
as his special guest. On the 26 July 2010, Petit released his second album The Crave
The Crave (Album)
The Crave is the second studio album by Stephen Dale Petit released on the 26 July 2010. It features guest appearances from former Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor, former Rolling Stones guitarist and bassist Dick Taylor and keyboardist Max Middleton. The album contains a mixture of covers and...
which featured guest appearances from: Mick Taylor, Dick Taylor
Dick Taylor
Richard Clifford 'Dick' Taylor is an English musician who was an early bass guitarist for The Rolling Stones. He left to become an art student at Sidcup Art College and while there formed The Pretty Things in September 1963...
and Max Middleton
Max Middleton
David Maxwell "Max" Middleton . He is an English composer and keyboardist and was originally a docker on the Liverpool docks. Middleton is known for his work on the Fender Rhodes Electric piano, the Minimoog synthesiser and his percussive playing style of the Hohner Clavinet...
. Stephen Dale Petit has been featured extensively on national, regional and student radio, including live in-studio sessions & interviews and specially commissioned BBC Radio 2 music sessions.http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006wrpdhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006wqtfhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qrpf
Influences and ideology: The New Blues Revolution
"The reason I am on the planet is to play blues guitar. I’m on a mission to spread the word about the blues and about the guitar – especially to young music lovers." - Stephen Dale Petit.As well as guitar playing, musicology
Musicology
Musicology is the scholarly study of music. The word is used in narrow, broad and intermediate senses. In the narrow sense, musicology is confined to the music history of Western culture...
and musical performance, Petit is a spokesperson for the "New Blues Revolution", which he refers to as "more of a campaign than a career move". Petit feels Blues has faded to the background of the British music consciousness, and so he has promoted the New Blues Revolution, which seeks to restore the Blues to the popularity it experienced during the British Blues Boom of the mid 1960s. Petit says about this restoration, "all that matters to me is that it happens, not who does it".
UK tour and BLUnivErSity tour
Petit’s BLUnivErSity Tour offered Blues Masterclass lectures to students at universities across the UK, accompanied by a gig in the same town. Petit began his tour on November 12, 2007 at GuildfordGuildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
Academy of Contemporary Music
Academy of Contemporary Music
The Academy of Contemporary Music is a music academy located in Guildford, Surrey, England.The school differs from more traditional music academies by its focus on rock and pop music, and its vocational approach...
where he lectured to over 80 students. Petit said of the ACM masterclass: “It’s very fitting that I’m starting my series of talks in the place that produced so many guitar players, such as Eric Clapton. It’s known as the Surrey Delta, like the Mississippi Delta
Mississippi Delta
The Mississippi Delta is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers. The region has been called "The Most Southern Place on Earth" because of its unique racial, cultural, and economic history...
where blues was widely accepted to have originated.”
Petit gave involved lectures on the blues, its history and its legacy from a musicology perspective. Petit said he aimed to expose “raw, deep blues” to a wider audience. “With these masterclasses I get to share my life’s passion in a more interactive setting, explore this fascinating phenomenon that underpins all modern guitar music and therefore most popular music of the last 100 years”
Petit has played several London venues including The Borderline; The Half Moon, Putney
Putney
Putney is a district in south-west London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
; 100 Club
100 Club
The 100 Club is a music venue in London situated at 100 Oxford Street, W1, originally called The Feldman Swing Club.The 100 Club attained legendary status in modern British music, having played host to live music since 24 October 1942....
, Oxford Street
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
; and he followed up a Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
gig at the Cavern Club
The Cavern Club
The Cavern Club is a rock and roll club in Liverpool, England. Opened on Wednesday 16 January 1957, the club had their first performance by The Beatles on 9 February 1961, and where Brian Epstein first saw The Beatles performing on 9 November 1961....
with a gig at the Zanzibar
The Zanzibar
The Zanzibar is a live music venue located on Seel Street in Liverpool best known for being the home of regular clubnights such as "The Bandwagon" and "Valhalla" among others...
Club. Petit has also played The HiFi Club, In April 2008, Petit made his fourth return to 100 Club on Oxford Street, headlining with full band.
External links
- Petit's Official Website
- Petit's current Myspace
- Petit's Original Myspace
- Petit's Facebook fanpage
- John Gladdy on Flickr Browse works from Petit's album cover photographer
- Tenacity Music PR Press Release from Petit's PR agency
- 333records homepage Petit's independent record label