Sonny Landreth – The King of Slydeco

Image: Brian Tierney / BackStage360

For every incredible guitarist you know of, there are dozens (if not more) that are at least as good, if not better, that you haven’t heard of. That is, of course, unless you’ve heard of Sonny Landreth. I never knew this name before this year, and now I will never forget it. Sonny was the Headlining act on August 5^th at the Ramona Mainstage, and Backstage360.com had exclusive access to the event, thanks to their incredible staff and ownership. The “King of Slydeco” is the best guitarist I have seen in person, I’ll just come right out and say it. That shouldn’t surprise you if you know him…after all, Eric Clapton even referred to him as possibly “The most underrated guitarists of all time” in a piece by the Boston Globe. (A search of their archives showed he’s a popular subject of the Boston Globe of his storied career). His movement up and down the fret board, crafting chord fragments while fingering notes is reminiscent of seasoned harpist. Even if you’re not a fan of the “Cajun Style” of rock, he blends his home-style Louisiana Zydeco with blues and rock in a way that’ll surely get your toes moving.

Image: Brian Tierney / BackStage360

The thing that makes this Louisiana boy so special, besides his ridiculously masterfulness of the six-stringed beast, is that he doesn’t believe that about himself. My biggest takeaway from sitting down and, not only listening to his entire show but, talking to the man himself was that he just truly loves what he does and does it with the humility of a gentle giant. Watch my interview with him at BackStage360.com to see how this man with half of a century of experience on the guitar alone actually blushes when I show him the slightest bit of praise. Keep an eye out for the next time Sonny Landreth will hit Southern California, because you don’t want to miss his performance. I would be remiss to not mention his opening act, locals Boxcar Chiefs primed the crowd with some good old Southern Rock, in a style on par with Lynyrd Skynyrd. Watch out for these youngsters, they’ve got some serious talent.