Onstage you'll find him in control of an out-of-control stage show, we've even heard there may be a vague resemblance to a rock'n'roll version of a young Tom Waits, with a very big guitar. Of course it may just be the attitude ... or the hat. The stats show John was born in Toronto and grew up between Ottawa & Gananoque. His adoptive parents raised him to the sounds of big bands and Bill Haley but hearing Hendrix, AC/DC & Alice Cooper started him bending strings at age 15. Unfortunately, instead of following a musical path, he became more notorious for his run-ins with local law. But when his guitar & amp were stolen he managed to re-direct his creative energy towards singing. John's first band Annihilator was co-founded with guitar prodigy Jeff Waters. A few years of manic intensity fueled by liquor aquired from John's parents (among other things), lead these friends to hone their songwriting skills and to create the critically acclaimed albums: Alice In Hell & Never, Neverland. Always forging his own path with wildly varied influences, John was hit by a sonic boom called the the Cramps at a show in Montreal (with opener Reverend Horton Heat). After trying unsucessfully to find some like-minded musicians he threw his gear into a borrowed car and drove 5000 km straight to Vancouver. Since 2001 the entertainer in BJB has developed a one-of-a-kind live show with the Voodoo Dollz and the musician in him has dug deeply into changing influences as varied as Cab Calloway's horns, Jack White's blues, Beatman's garage and Tom Waits' crazy steam punk beats and pulpy lyrics. After four studio albums, a live DVD, and closing on 1000 live performances (in Europe, Canada & the USA) Big John Bates' music has moved from its somewhat psychobilly beginnings to envelope exotica, low-fi & the punk blues. The mosaic of styles, a sonic marriage of melody and growling riffs, with upright slap bass punctuating huge drum grooves, is the undeniable sound of Big John Bates & the Voodoo Dollz. John's biggest fan moment came when he had a chance to meet and speak one on one with B.B. King after BJB's first House Of Blues show in Las Vegas. John claims that B.B.'s signing of John's White Falcon was better than meeting Jesus.
GUITARS: BJB's desert island guitar is his '59 Gretsch custom shop Country Club but there's nothing like Falcons flying around the stage. John was proud to be added to the Gretsch Artist Spotlight in 2005 & to the Falcon page of their 2006 catalog. Tiger
Beat Questions: CLICK FOR RECENT INTERVIEWS WITH JOHN Farewell to a good friend, the legendary Canadian, Ray Condo (1950-2004) |
| John Bates' Discography: Annihilator (co-writer) - Alison Hell (Roadrunner - 1989) CD/LP
"John Bates was the FIRST Annihilator singer, good friend and long-time Annihilator collaborator (co-wrote tunes like Alison Hell, King of the Kill, I am in Command, etc). John took a far different musical turn than I did with Annihilator. Bates was always into theatrical and dramatic styles of music (Alice Cooper, Jim Morrison, Rocky Horror Picture Show) so when he moved into his own style and sound, years ago, his Big John Bates band combined a mixture of those early influences with kinda a Stray Cats vibe. Very cool stuff and also a pleasure to see and hear John kickin' butt across the world with sold-out tours around the globe and doin' great records." - Jeff Waters
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