Gwyn Ashton - Beg, Borrow & Steel - 2001

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Gwyn Ashton - Beg, Borrow & Steel - 2001

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Gwyn Ashton - Beg, Borrow & Steel - 2001

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Biography: Blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter Gwyn Ashton was born in Wales and raised in South Australia. At an early age he developed a love for blues and rock music that was fueled as a result of recordings by renowned artists like Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Holly, Rory Gallagher, Muddy Waters, and many others.

At the age of 11, Ashton picked up his first guitar and began the chore of learning to play the instrument. His natural talent didn't take long to show through. When he was a teenager, he teamed up with a couple of friends to form his first professional band. He stood in as frontman. The little group often managed to land jobs at local blues clubs and bars. After building a small fan base and landing some positive press, Ashton took his act on the road across Australia. He also spent time serving as a member with other groups now and then.

In 1993, Ashton finished recording his debut album, Feel the Heat. It took three long years before his sophomore full-length offering, Beg, Borrow and Steel, was released. By now he was touring and performing in countries worldwide, including finding a market in the United States for his slide guitar-filled blues-rock. Some of the musicians who have been part of his recording band along the way include drummers Brendan O'Neill, Rick Tredrea, and Michael Wiedrich; along with bassists Geoff Brown, Sambor Kansy, and Gerry McAvoy.

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Gwyn Ashton - Beg, Borrow & Steel - 2001

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Product Description: Gwyn Ashton was born in Wales and grew up in Adelaide, South Australia. His guitar playing was first inspired by musicians from the Australian scene, such as Chris Finnen, Kevin Borich and Ian Moss, along with favourites Chuck Berry, and Hank Marvin. In 1985, Gwyn moved to Sydney to join John Swan's band Swanee, and by 1986 he had teamed up with ex-Easybeats vocalist Stevie Wright and members of Jimmy Barnes's band. Malcom Young's nephew James played drums with Gwyn for a time and introduced him to Mal, who came to several of Gwyn's gigs before resuming his tour dates with AC/DC.

Gwyn spent most of the Eighties playing in almost every bar in Australia, impressing many international musicians, including Mick Fleetwood, who sat in with Gwyn's band one late night in Adelaide. His power trio has opened in Australia for Rory Gallagher, Junior Wells, Steve Morse and Albert Lee and in Europe for BB King, Buddy Guy, Peter Green, Dr Feelgood, Canned Heat, Nine Below Zero, Dan Baird and many others. In October 1999, his first UK release was followed by 15 concerts on tour with Status Quo, including dates at Wembley Arena and Birmingham NEC.

Gwyn Ashton delivers a powerful yet bluesy Rock, with country and jazz influences. His guitar playing varies from the wild to the colourful or gentle, and offers a fantastic and diverse range of melodies. Each of his notes comes alive with a unique touch, which mixes Blues techniques, sheer power and the musical influence of his country of origin.

Gwyn Ashton's second album "Fang It!", produced by Nine Below Zero's Dennis Greaves and recorded with ex-Rory Gallagher sidemen Gerry McAvoy on bass and Brendan O'Neill on drums, established Gwyn as one of the most promising guitarists on today's rock/blues scene.

"Beg, Borrow & Steel" was recorded in Australia, mostly with acoustic instruments, live in the studio in 12 hours and is a journey back to the roots of Gwyn Ashton's music: Gwyn shines on slide guitar, with most of the tracks played on a 1936 National steel guitar. His all-Australian backing band provides just the right touch of harmonica, double bass, piano, Hammond organ and drums (with brushes, natch!) to help create an album steeped in the ultimate musical authenticity and yet incredibly varied .

The majority of "Beg, Borrow & Steel"'s tracks are self-penned, with the exception of Gwyn's stand-out version of Muddy's "I Can't be Satisfied". From the up-tempo train song "Train Time Shuffle" to the beautiful instrumental "Uluru Sunset" or the laid back delta blues "Leaving in the Morning", Gwyn Ashton confirms his exceptional talent both as a songwriter and a performer.

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Gwyn Ashton - Beg, Borrow & Steel - 2001

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Gwyn Ashton - Beg, Borrow & Steel - 2001

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