Guitar Players of Note

Guitar Players in the North & North West: 

This page preserves a snapshot of guitar players connected with Steve McWilliam, the Tape 'n' Tab Club and the wider North West acoustic-guitar scene. Some entries are Steve's recollections; others are stories supplied by the players themselves.

Steve McWilliam: 

Steve McWilliam (Runcorn): For further information see: SJMcW. 

How time flies and how 'life' gets in the way. 'Work' and 'being busy' has meant that as at January 2008 I have not played for a few years BUT I have recently re-started to re-learn the old tunes I used to play and am looking forward to transcribing, arranging and playing new tunes before the year is out. This is being helped along by taking on a couple of children for lessons (for free) and being forced to work-up songs and teaching materials. Here we go again - hang on ! I can be contacted via my mail-box at: Steve.

After several weeks of torture I was about to give up, when I was introduced to a guitarist called Brian Mills, everybody called him "Milo". I heard him play and was absolutely stunned, this was how I wanted to play, (finger picking). I travelled to Brian's house many times over the following weeks. He told me to throw this particular guitar away. So it was down to Frank Hessy's in Liverpool. I settled on a Framus acoustic, not the best guitar, but a big improvement over the one built in jail. Brian would write out tunes in "Tab" for me to learn, I remember the first tune I ever played was "Railroad Bill". Brian explained that I didn't need to be able to read music, just know how the song sounded. I would go home and practice every day and after a couple of weeks go and see him, and hopefully make a good impression.

I was hungry for more "Tab", and in those days the only books available were "Bert Weedon's play in a day" (say no more). I heard Brian talk about an American guitarist called "Stefan Grossman", who had made a record called "How to play blues guitar", and also produced a booklet with "Tab" transcriptions of all the tunes, but which sadly was now deleted. After about a year of struggle, I was in Dawson's music store, in Warrington one day, and came across the, "How to play blues guitar" album, by Stefan Grossman, on the Xtra label I think. Well this was like winning the lottery, could this really be the same record that Brian talked about? Yes it was! I parted with my money and legged it home, got out the guitar and wore my fingers away. It was this record, more than anything that helped me along the way. Later Stefan produced a series of guitar books on several different guitar styles, from Ragtime, and Blues, to Folk, all with 'Tab' transcriptions. I had to travel to "Colette's" music book store in London to get hold of any of these.

Over the following years Brian became a very good friend, we went to a number of "Folk clubs" in the area where we used get up and play instrumentals, blues, or ragtime tunes (I couldn't sing anyway), it was usually free admission if you performed. Our favourite club was at the "Bluebell" pub in Horse Market Street in Warrington, run by the "Mynah Birds" (Jack, Norman, and, Colin Frogatt), every Wednesday night. It was now about 1972 when I started work at the Dept of Employment in Runcorn, where I met Steve McWilliam. Steve was interested in the guitar and had brought one in to work one day, I had a little play and he seemed impressed, anyway we struck up a friendship which has lasted to this day. Sadly Brian took his own life during the Christmas period of 1975, a dear friend greatly missed by all who new him. I used to go to Steve's house every Tuesday night, (guitar and pub night), we played guitar, attempted duet's, and went for a couple of pints after. Steve worked hard at playing guitar and picked it up very fast, (I know 'cos I seen the blisters on his fingers).

It was Steve who started the Tape n Tab Club". The idea was to sit down and record yourself playing, write down the tune in "Tab" and send the cassette tape in, we met lots of friends all over the country, some beginners and some very fine guitarists, one such guitarist of note must be Mike Martin, I never heard anybody play (and sing) "Blind Blake" tunes the way he did. It was largely due to the efforts of Steve, who encouraged (forced) us to sit in front of a microphone, and record some of our tunes, and also write the stuff down, he was the "organiser", just as well, as a lot of songs would have been lost.

Because of my love and passion for the guitar I decided to have a go at making one myself. I obtained all the books I could on the subject, which wasn't that many, about six I think. I also learned a great deal from a good friend Bill Dinsdale, Bill had studied musical instrument making at the London College of Furniture, and had made some very fine guitars. Steve and myself both have guitars made by Bill. So I set about collecting all the necessary tools, and practiced my woodworking skills. It was 1988 when my first instrument was ready, not bad for a beginner, a year later I built a second one (Rosewood body, spruce top), built out of solid, thin wood, modelled after the "Martin" style of guitars. I still use this guitar today and am very pleased with the sound.

With today's modern technology I now have a computer and am a registered "Tabledit" user. I can now type my tunes into "Tabledit" and have them played back, and sent to friends who also have a computer and "Tabledit".

Kieran Fish - 9 November 1999

M&O Blues and Canned Heat Duet - low quality MP3 - Kieran Fish & Mike Martin

Ian Jesse (Frodsham): 

Ian is both a multi-instrumentalist and a singer (makes you sick), as well as being quite a comedian in his own right. He plays acoustic 6-string guitar (nylon & steel strung), 12-string, electric guitar (an Ibanez), mandolin, penny-whistle, un-keyed and keyed flutes, clarinet, keyboard, and probably others I do not know of. His guitar playing is a style all of his own with the acoustic playing being a combination of strumming and fingerstyle all tied together with electric influences - it makes for interesting listening and watching when he applies this style to old traditional folk material and fiddle tunes.

He composes his own tunes and songs and records them in his home studio. Recently he has been playing as a part of an acoustic rock duo under the name of 7th Avenue; previously he was a part of a blues and folk duo with myself, known as Nobody's Business. Should you wish to contact him, please do so via my mail box at: Ian.

The following was provided by Ian himself:

A Few Words Concerning the Musical 'Career' of Ian Jesse:-

Largely thanks to the splendid music of T.Rex and a class-talk on guitar playing by a fellow secondary school pupil I took up plectrum-style acoustic guitar at the age of eleven(ish). I began fingerstyle quite early, encouraged by the music of Ralph McTell and Steeleye Span (who also introduced me to the world of British Folk Music).

At around the age of fourteen I made my first attempts at writing songs and tunes. At eighteen I wrote the music for a mini 'rock-opera' based on the life of the apostle Paul, for performance by members of the Frodsham Methodist Youth Group. The production was devised by my friend, Youth Group Leader - Dick Carling, who wrote the words and produced the show. From age nineteen into my early twenties I sang, played bass-guitar, and occassionally guitar(!) in various college rock groups: Eric's Dog, Dumb Waiter, Zip Code, and The Pete Walker Band (happy days!).

After leaving college I played with rock groups: The Foreign Office and The Purple Cage, and an R&B group called The Tubesnakes. I also began regular 'floor-spot' appearances at Frodsham Folk Club, developing a repertoire of folk songs and tunes (including my own material), and taking up the mandolin, flute, clarinet and tin-whistle. In my mid-twenties, my boss at the Manpower Services Commission - Julia Hancell - introduced me to Steve McWilliam. We eventually formed a popular ragtime.blues duo: Nobody's Business, in which I sang, played guitar, clarinet, and flute to Steve's stalwart guitar picking (more happy days!).

Meanwhile, in my mid-thirties, I joined former Purple Cage vocalist - Jamie Lowe - in the hard-working, electro-acoustic pop/pub duo: 7th Avenue (singing and playing guitar). My folk music involvement continues and I have recently (1999) joined a new quartet known as - Pigeon English - playing tenor saxaphone, mandolin and clarinet. That's the story to date, so far as I can recollect: it's possible I've missed bits out, but the above chronicles the most significant events - I believe.

Thanks Ian - keep it up !!!

Phil Lawton (Liverpool): 

Phil started playing seriously approximately three years ago (circa 1995) after taking fingerstyle lessons from yours truly at Halewood Comprehensive (evening classes). He now plays at a couple of local folk clubs and has formed a local fingerstyle guitar pickers club which meets in an upstairs room of a pub on Tuesday evenings (9:00pm). This has engendered a large number (over 20) new players and the 'torch' is being passed on - well done Phil !! If you should like to contact Phil, please e-mail him on: - Phil.  - below is his story in Phil's own words:

"Like many amateur guitarists I had been trying to play the guitar for many years. I would learn to play the odd Beatles or Eagles song but, because I could not sing, there seemed little point in bashing chords. The guitar stood in a corner gathering dust for months at a time and, just occasionally, I would pick it up, bash it a bit more, and put it down again when I entered a musical cul-de-sac.

In 1996 I saw an Evening "Fingerpicking Guitar Class" advertised at Halewood Comprehensive School in Liverpool. It sounded interesting and I persuaded a friend of mine, Colin Power, to come along with me and to give it a try. The class tutor was - Steve McWilliam - and the first tune he played us was "Candyman" by the Rev. Gary Davis. Colin and I had never heard anything like it before and we were completely blown away. We didn't think that we would ever be able to play this fantastic music but we were completely hooked and determined to give it our best shot. We practised every day and drove our families mad. After three months, or so, our efforts were rewarded and you could recognise that it was "Candyman" that we were trying to play. We were hungry for more tunes and Steve introduced us to more great guitarists including Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Blake, Big Bill Broonzy, and many more. We enjoyed the class so much that we enrolled again for the following year and with Steve's help and plenty of practise our playing continued to improve and we began to learn some of the more complicated ragtime tunes.

At the end of the second year I suggested that we continued to meet once a week throughout the Summer break so that we could continue to play together and so "The Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitar Club" was formed. Initially there were five members; we have continued to meet weekly at 9:00pm on Tuesday evenings at the Grange Manor Pub on Grange Lane, Liverpool 25, and our membership has grown to a select but committed thirteen. This is a friendly club and new members, of any level of ability, would be and are, made very welcome. Why not come along, have a drink, and see what goes on. The club moved venue in 2009. If you are even remotely interested give me, Phil Lawton, a ring on: 0151-280-4512, or drop me an e-mail at: Phil Lawton, for further details. We would be overjoyed to see and meet you. Phil Lawton - November 1999."

As at September 2000 Phil took over the guitar evening class at Halewood Comp as I had taken on a new job as manager of the new Local Record Centre for the Cheshire region (www.record-lrc.co.uk) which was going to take up all my available time - here is hoping I get time to pick the old box up now and again.

Joe Cainen (Warrington): 

Joe, an ex-priest, runs the Bollington Music Weekends and plays a mean acoustic guitar (a Gibson). His main areas of interest lie in the ragtime and contemporary areas but as 'host' of the music weekends he also has a vast repertoire of well known sing-around songs which he can pick and strum as well as a few party pieces to keep the gathering fun and interesting. If you should like to contact Joe, please do so via my mail-box - Joe. 

Paddy Garrigan (Lancaster): 

A youngish player (just left Uni - as at 1997); I first met Patrick when he was about fifteen. He wanted to learn fingerstyle and proceeded to suck out everything I knew about guitar playing in about 9 months. He is phenomenal on a good night but seems to be gravitating towards playing bass in bands more than anything else at the moment. As well as guitar and bass he is a superb mandolin player and gets by on singing which is more than I can do.


In Paddy's own words: "I first started playing music in my very early teens. My Gran had just moved into sheltered accommodation, and bequeathed an upright piano to my family. Soon, I was busily attempting to pick out the very latest sounds by Howard Jones, Depeche Mode and Ultravox. Sadly, since the piano itself was in the living room, along with the telly, the stereo, and, most vociferously, my family, I was ultimately forced to take my unexplored 'creative' side elsewhere. Unlikely as it may seem for a dejected teenager, this turned into playing the guitar.

Thrillingly, I joined a rock band the day after I started playing. However bad I may have been, I was the only member of the band to never have been kicked out by the time we split up six months later. By now I'd added slide and bass guitar to my repertoire of instruments I couldn't play properly, a repertoire which was growing bigger by the week. Soon I would be unable to play violin, mandolin, harmonica, tin whistle, autoharp, drums, Jews harp and the accordion. My friends at school envied me, and as the bullies laid into me, saying , "this'll teach you to be so good at music", I could only feel grateful that, finally, someone at school was willing to teach me anything.

By my mid-teens, I was starting to get busy - I was playing rhythm guitar and keyboards in Runcorn's only psychedelic improvisational free jazz-rock band (I would tell you the name, but that in itself would require a separate article), playing bass in my brother's band, and also making my first tentative steps towards playing in folk clubs, mostly accompanying my sister, and also my Dad, on the guitar. It was at this stage that I first became involved in what are now the Bollington Music Weekends. On my first visit, I established something of a trend by playing very little, getting drunker than I'd ever done before, and playing swingball on the front lawn at four in the morning. I believe it caused something of a stir.

Although the portents were not good, when I next returned to the Music Weekends, I had something of a life changing experience. Now the proud possessor of a 25 Hohner Acoustic (it should have been 30 but it was missing a string. Somehow I managed to refrain from breaking the other five strings and getting it for nothing), I was being taken seriously as a guitarist, and was soon under the collective wings (yikes) of Steve McWilliam and Joe Cainen, amongst others, who very generously spent the next few years sharing their considerable collective knowledge of music and also their Tuesday (and frequently many other) nights with me. They also introduced me to Ian Jesse, with whom I have since performed on many occasions, and in just as many diverse situations. I freely admit that it is entirely the fault of the residents of the Music Weekends that I first became interested in English folk music, and subsequently in songwriting, so they have no-one to blame for my career but themselves !!!!!

By now I had taken on the all-important role of bass player in local band 'The Purple Cage', which some people even remember. The range of experiences all of the above-mentioned wonderful people brought me into can only be described as 'character forming', and I'm very grateful for that! Forays ensued in various combinations, leading to many's the enjoyable / terrifying performance - from school barbecues to pub sessions, busking at markets, providing accompaniment for park fetes and madrigal singers alike, right up to full-on Rawk - it was great to be out playing, and to occasionally get some experience of playing on my own. Only occasionally, mind.

In 1993, I left Runcorn and moved up to Lancaster, where, contrary to what you may have read elsewhere, I have lived ever since. Until March 1997, I was primarily involved as bass player, keyboardist, violinist, and later as guitarist and second vocalist in the band The Puma Sutras. Since then, I have been guitarist, vocalist and primary songwriter for The Pier Group, who perform regularly across an increasingly broad geographical base. I have also played as a duo with Rachel McCarron, have played bass guitar with Striding Edge ceilidh band, have played various instruments on sessions by The Wisemen, and continue to perform as a solo act. Lancaster has a tremendous music scene, and I feel lucky to have gotten involved in it - more people should try it! I hope I get to see you all soon. - P. Garrigan - Jan. 2001"

Dick Wildman (Manchester):

Dick Wildman was one of the guitarists who became part of the early Tape 'n' Tab circle through the Tuesday evening sessions in the basement of Mike Brown's record shop in Oxford Street, Manchester. Steve's Tape 'n' Tab history records Dick among the Clancy's players who joined the wider T'n'T group in the early 1980s. Dick's playing is also preserved in the surviving T'n'T tablature archive: his 1978 arrangement of Pony Blues combines material associated with Son House's Pony Blues and Charley Patton's Stoney Pony Blues, with the guitar arrangement credited entirely to Dick. The arrangement was later entered into TablEdit by Steve McWilliam. Dick is also credited with other arrangements in the archive, including Trotto.

See Dick's surviving arrangements in the Friends' Guitar Tablature archive.

Mike Martin (Chester):

Steve first met Mike Martin at Mike Brown's record shop in Oxford Street, Manchester, where Tuesday evenings became a meeting place for local acoustic guitar players and singers. Steve and Kieran Fish met Mike there, and the three became friends through their shared interest in guitar and music. Mike was a striking player, with a strong and accurate style and a particular affinity for the music of Blind Blake.

Mike can be contacted via his mail box at: Mike.

To read Mike's own story click the link below:

Mike Martin In His Own Words - A Musical Journey

Terry Jones (Macclesfield):

Terry is an acoustic fingerstyle guitarist and arranger from Macclesfield, Cheshire, with a particular interest in ragtime and two-guitar arrangements. In 2007 he recorded the CD Schizopation, featuring his guitar playing and arrangements. Terry's playing of his own duet arrangements is also documented in a recording of his two-guitar arrangement of Julius Fucik's Entry of the Gladiators; the album is independently listed in a mastering-company discography.

Terry sent Steve a copy of the CD together with his handwritten tablature for the arrangements. Steve subsequently entered the material into TablEdit so that the arrangements could be distributed alongside the MIDI and other tab resources on Guitar Pages. The Duet Tabs archive now contains a substantial group of Terry's 2007 arrangements, including Sleepy Sidney, Modesty Rag, Tobasco – A Ragtime Waltz, Texas Foxtrot, Just Ask Me and Entry of the Gladiators.

These arrangements provide a particularly useful record of Terry's approach to fingerstyle ragtime guitar and his work forms a significant part of the duet material preserved on this site.

Alan Hooper (Manchester / Exeter):

Alan was one of the guitarists who became part of the early Tape 'n' Tab circle. Steve remembers him among the players who helped make up the North-West acoustic-guitar network. Alan later moved from the Manchester area to Exeter, where he became active on the Devon folk scene.

Alan continued to play acoustic guitar and appeared at Devon folk events, including Topsham Folk Club. He performed with harmonica player Andy Mills as the duo Hooper & Mills; a Topsham Folk Club programme described the pair as a guitar and harmonica duo playing spirited acoustic delta blues.

Alan's musical contribution to the Guitar Pages archive includes Fat of the Land, which he composed and which Steve subsequently entered into TablEdit for the Friends' Tabs collection.

Outside music, Steve remembers Alan as having worked in physiotherapy and becoming involved in writing a major professional training book. According to Steve's recollection, after Alan identified numerous errors in an existing book, the publishers invited him to produce a replacement. The bibliographic details of that book have not been independently verified and are therefore retained here as Steve's recollection.

John Gregson (Widnes):

John was a singer and guitarist associated with the Widnes and Warrington folk-club scene. Steve remembers him as one of the players active around the area during the late 1970s and 1980s, and archival folk listings confirm his continuing presence: he was among the regulars associated with the Warrington Folk Club and was listed performing at the Ring o' Bells in Widnes in February 2003. The folk-song reference site Mainly Norfolk also identifies John specifically as singer and guitarist John Gregson of Widnes, Cheshire, and records a verse of The Banks of the Bann supplied by him. He was part of the same North-West acoustic-guitar network that fed into the Tape 'n' Tab Club and remained active in folk music well beyond the original T'n'T years.

Tony Hayes (Widnes):

Tony was another guitarist associated with the Widnes-area folk-club scene during the late 1970s and 1980s. He was part of the wider circle of North-West players whose meetings, friendships and exchanges of tunes formed the background to the Tape 'n' Tab Club. Information about Tony's playing history is less well documented online than that of some of the other players on this page, so this short profile deliberately remains based on Steve's recollection of the local scene rather than risking material about other musicians with the same name.

Martin Bell (Stoke):

Martin is an active acoustic guitarist from Staffordshire with a long connection to the specialist acoustic-guitar world. Brook Guitars identifies him as the editor of its Babbling Brook magazine and records him travelling from Staffordshire to perform a set at Okehampton Acoustic Club. He has also worked with and supported other leading acoustic players; Brook Guitars recorded an occasion at Alstonefields Village Hall when Martin supported Clive Carroll and the two played several numbers together, Martin using his bubinga Cary. Martin's editorial work with Babbling Brook has included putting together interviews, articles and other material for the guitar-making community.

Steve Conway (Bradford):

Steve Conway is a guitarist and mandolin player from the Bradford area. He played in the duo The Jaybirds with Pete Williams, who played guitar and harmonica; Acoustic Blues described the pair as hailing from Bradford and specialising in rural blues. Their work included guitar duets and arrangements of traditional and blues material, including a published arrangement of Papa's Gettin' Hot. Steve also travelled widely around the country with the duo. By profession he is a bookbinder, and his musical activities form part of the wider network of players associated with the Tape 'n' Tab Club.

Peter Price (Warrington):

Peter Price is a current member of the monthly Tape 'n' Tab meetings and one of the more widely travelled acoustic guitarists in the wider North-West circle. Before turning professional he played locally in duo settings around Lymm and Warrington. He subsequently built an international career as an acoustic blues guitarist, singer and multi-instrumentalist, with performances taking him throughout the UK, Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. His music ranges across country blues, folk, ragtime, jazz and Latin American styles, with influences including Robert Johnson, Blind Willie McTell, Leadbelly, Big Bill Broonzy and Blind Blake. He was formerly a member of The New Hokum Boys and is known for his album Big Road Blues.

Peter has performed at the Ullapool Guitar Festival in Scotland, where the festival describes him as a highly respected British acoustic blues guitarist and singer-songwriter. His international work has included repeated performances at the Six Bars Jail in Florence, Italy; the club records that its friendship with Peter began when they encountered him at Ullapool in 2009. Recent festival material in Lymm likewise describes his international career and wide musical repertoire. Peter also gives guitar workshops and continues to perform professionally.

GUITAR PLAYERS of NOTE by Tape 'n' Tab Club: Scotland

Ray John (Ray Norris):

Ray John is the name used for Ray Norris's musical work. Ray asked Steve to use his middle name, John, in place of his surname on the site, and his compositions and arrangements are credited in the archive under both Ray John and Ray Norris.

Ray was formerly based in Orkney, where he worked as a Fairtrade Officer, and he is now based in Scotland. After a period away from playing, he returned to the guitar and to writing tablature after finding the Guitar Pages site. Since then he has produced a substantial body of fingerstyle arrangements and has also worked collaboratively with other musicians online.

His contributions to the Guitar Pages archive include 60 Second Rag, Early Morning Blues, West Coast Blues, Key To The Highway, Spodiodi Blues, Ragamundo, D-Modal Ramble, Paddy's Rag and Step It Up and Go. Steve's Tune A Day postings on the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum also preserve examples credited to Ray John and Ray Norris, including 60 Second Rag, Early Morning Blues, West Coast Blues and Key To The Highway.

Ray's return to playing has led not only to a growing body of tablature but also to renewed musical collaboration with other players. His work provides another example of the way in which the long-running Tape 'n' Tab archive continues to stimulate new playing and arranging activity.

Steve McWilliam's Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum – Ray John / Ray Norris tune posts

GUITAR PLAYERS of NOTE by Tape 'n' Tab Club: Wales

Andy Gibson (North Wales):

Andy Gibson was a blind guitarist from North Wales and part of the wider Tape 'n' Tab circle. Steve remembers him as a highly accomplished acoustic player who also taught guitar in the North-West and North Wales area. Andy is particularly associated with a large Gibson J-200 copy made by luthier Bill Dinsdale. Dinsdale's own history on this site records that the instrument was purchased by Andy and that he used it both for performances, including charity work, and for teaching. The guitar became one of the memorable instruments associated with the T'n'T network.

A surviving recording from January 1981, Sweet and Lovely, provides a rare contemporary example of Andy's playing; the recording is also described online as being by Andy Gibson, the blind guitarist from North Wales. Andy is listed among the players who became part of the wider Tape 'n' Tab group.

For more about the Dinsdale-built J-200 copy, see the Notable Acoustic Guitar Makers page.

Patrick Collard (South Wales):

Patrick is a guitarist from South Wales and a musician with a particular interest in blues and ragtime. He was also a member of Fandalism, the online social network for musicians, where Steve came across his playing. Fandalism subsequently evolved into the music-distribution service now known as DistroKid. Patrick is also described publicly as a sometime keyboard player and songwriter, as well as a guitarist with an interest in blues and ragtime.

Geoff Durno (Denbigh, Wales):

Geoff is an excellent fingerstyle guitarist and horticulturalist. Steve's original profile records Geoff's involvement in the North Wales folk scene and, by 1998, his running of the Rhyl Folk Club. A 1991 Folksong Northwest club-scene listing also names Geoff among the musicians appearing in Llandudno, confirming his activity in the North Wales folk circuit during that period.

Steve also recorded that Geoff had an interest in amateur radio and that his wife, Jean, also played guitar. Geoff was part of the wider Tape 'n' Tab network and is one of the North Wales players whose playing and friendship helped connect the club's North-West circle.

Geoff's musical activity has continued well beyond the period covered by Steve's original profile. At Ruthin All Styles Music Nights in 2018 he performed a set including material from the Paul Simon songbook, and on another occasion he presented a musical history of the birth of the trade-union movement. The same Ruthin archive records further appearances in which he performed John Denver's This Old Guitar, Richard Digance's Red Lights of Antwerp, Johnny Cash's If I Were a Carpenter and Steve Winwood's Can't Find My Way Home. These reports describe him as a welcome and well-established performer in the local North Wales acoustic scene.

A surviving 2021 home performance, recorded during the Covid-19 lockdown, shows Geoff singing and playing Tom Paxton's Angeline Is Always Friday. This provides a useful contemporary example of his continuing guitar playing and singing many years after the early Tape 'n' Tab period.

Geoff can be contacted via his mail-box at: Geoff.

Ruthin All Styles Music Nights – Geoff Durno  |  Geoff Durno – Angeline Is Always Friday

GUITAR PLAYERS of NOTE by Tape 'n' Tab Club: Overseas

Johnson Hogg (Nantes / Treillières, France):

Johnson Hogg was born in North Wales and has been playing fingerstyle guitar since his teens, with a particular long-standing devotion to the music of Bert Jansch. He now lives in the Nantes area of France and is a current member of the monthly Tape 'n' Tab online meetings. The Bert Jansch Foundation's 80 Plays project records Johnson playing Jansch material including Chambertin, Blackwaterside, Back Home and M'Lady Nancy; his Chambertin performance was recorded in Treillières, France, in 2020. The same project records that Johnson met Bert Jansch in Wales in 1984 after a Pentangle concert.

Johnson has also contributed a substantial body of fingerstyle arrangements to the TablEdit archive on this site, including Silver Heels, Java, You're A Sweet Little Headache, I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter, and his original composition Martin's Enchanted Garden. His playing therefore forms an important part of the continuing international strand of the Tape 'n' Tab Club.

Johnson Hogg — Bert Jansch Foundation: 80 Plays

Francesco Paganini (Italy):

Francesco Paganini is an Italian guitarist and a current member of the monthly Tape 'n' Tab online meetings, with a particular interest in ragtime, blues and solo fingerstyle guitar. His work is now represented in the Friends' Tablature archive on this site by a growing series of TablEdit arrangements.

Recent contributions include Spring Time Rag (2024), Modesty Rag (2025), Crazy Bone Rag (2024), The Thriller (2025) and Dusty Rag (2026), all arranged or tabbed by Francesco Paganini and subsequently amended in TablEdit by Steve McWilliam. An independent recording post also documents Francesco arranging and playing Crazy Bone Rag as a solo fingerstyle guitar piece. An older online TablEdit archive also lists Francesco Paganini in connection with blues studies, indicating that his interest in guitar tablature extends back considerably further.

Francesco's contributions provide another direct link between the long-running Tape 'n' Tab tablature tradition and the club's present international membership.