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More Details About Singer John Waite

B.B. King Blues Club

Conveniently located in the heart of Times Square near Penn Station and Port Authority, The B.B. King Blues Club & Grill offers music fans a unique experience. Owned by the Bensusan Family, proprietors of the world renowned Blue Note Jazz Club, the club features world-class musical talent and consists of two distinct spaces: the Showcase Room & Lucille's Grill.

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Website: http://www.bbkingblues.com/schedule/moreinfo.cgi?id=2327

From British bar bands to duets with Nashville superstars is quite a journey. Indeed, three decades have passed since a restless, wild-eyed teenager from northwest England first packed his bags for London to pursue his passion for music. Though he has enjoyed chart-topping records and sold-out concerts around the world, John Waite’s hunger has never diminished. “When I took my current band out on the road to play a few gigs this summer, the energy both onstage and from the audiences was fierce,” says Waite. “Initially, we thought we’d just go out for a short while before heading into the studio to record a new album. But then I realized that I was having such a phenomenal time playing in front of people that the next record could wait. That’s how I am these days. If something feels right, then I just do it.”
 
One thing John Waite has come to understand during his illustrious career in music is that the best way to live and learn is also the hardest way: accept that there can be no highs without lows, no gain without loss, and certainly no love without pain. Take nothing for granted, maintain your integrity. Then, at least, you give yourself every chance of going the distance.

“That’s basically been my approach over the years,” says the British singer/songwriter. “Sticking to my guns – that’s the only way I know. It makes success that much sweeter. Bottom line: it’s more honest. And, besides, I’ve never wanted to become a rock’n’roll caricature.” Without question, this frank, positive outlook, along with his unwavering sense of self-worth in an often fickle, cutthroat industry, has been the key to John Waite’s formidable staying power.

The resilience, spontaneity, and power that Waite has cultivated over his career are palpable in every note of his new album, Downtown – Journey of a Heart. Worth particular notice is a stunning new recording of his timeless ballad “Missing You,” cut as a duet with 20-time Grammy®-winning bluegrass siren Alison Krauss. Her haunting vocals elevate the already classic song to a new level of bittersweet, emotional power.

Inspired by British blues-based bands like Free, the Small Faces, and Humble Pie, it was during the desperately cold winter of 1975 that John Waite and the Baby’s cut their rock’n’roll teeth, rehearsing and playing gigs on the London scene. Two years later, a combination of hard work, sheer persistence, and a great sense of adventure brought the band success in America. By ‘78, with two albums under its collective belt and a Top 40 hit with “Isn’t It Time,” The Baby’s released their third album, which spawned the chart smash “Every Time I Think Of You...” Flash forward six years and the title of that latter song would provide the immortal opening lines to what is undeniably one of the all-time greatest pop/rock ballads, “Missing You.”

John Waite had cut five albums with The Baby’s before moving to New York to go solo during the early 1980s. His first solo album, Ignition, boasted the MTV/rock radio staple “Change.” Alas, strong tunes for a second LP elicited negative response from the record label. In the summer of ‘83, Waite decided he wanted out – at least for a while – and left the bright lights for “rolling English fields, pastures, meadows, oak trees...and the local skinheads!” A year later, back with a new record on a new label, John Waite was smiling again. On September 22, 1984, he found himself at number one on the hit parade with “Missing You.” The song topped the international charts. Twenty years on, this classic remains a radio staple around the globe. “It was an unbelievable experience at the time –and still something I’m very proud of,” he says.

In the late 1980s, John Waite released a couple more solo albums before returning to the top of the charts during a two-album tenure with the pop/rock super group Bad English. The band’s number one single “When I See You Smile” sparked sold-out concert tours and a succession of Billboard Hot 100 hits. But when the group’s spark was gone, Waite packed his bags and returned to life a solo songsmith. He now prefers to balance his life between singing on stage and composing and recording honest, heartfelt solo albums. He has written and recorded several songs for feature films. For kicks (and perhaps honor, as a diehard Beatles fan), he even enjoyed a brief stint on a recent Ringo Starr concert tour. Not one to be deterred by the changing face of the music industry, John Waite is content in simply being true to himself and his art.