| Sonny Landreth | |
| Birth Name: | Clide Vernon Landreth |
| Background: | non_vocal_instrumentalist |
| Birth Date: | 1 February 1951 |
| Birth Place: | Canton, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Instrument: | Guitar |
| Genre: | Blues, country blues, zydeco |
| Associated Acts: | Jimmy Buffett, John Hiatt, The Goners, Mark Knopfler |
| Years Active: | 1973–present |
| Label: | Provogue Records |
Clide Vernon "Sonny" Landreth (born February 1, 1951)[1] is an American blues musician from southwest Louisiana who is especially known as a slide guitar player. He was born in Canton, Mississippi, and settled in Lafayette, Louisiana.[2] [3] He lives in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana.
Landreth is known as "the King of Slydeco" [4] and plays with a strong zydeco influence. Guitarist Eric Clapton has said that Landreth is one of the most advanced guitarists in the world and one of the most under-appreciated.
Landreth is best known for his slide guitar playing, having developed a technique where he also frets notes and plays chords and chord fragments by fretting behind the slide while he plays. Landreth plays with the slide on his little finger, so that his other fingers have more room to fret behind the slide.[5] [6] [7] He is also known for his right-hand technique, which involves tapping, slapping, and picking strings, using all of the fingers on his right hand. He wears a special thumb pick/flat pick hybrid on his thumb so that he can bear down on a pick while simultaneously using his finger-style technique for slide.
Landreth is known for his use of Fender Stratocaster guitars and Dumble Amplifiers. He is also known to use Demeter and Fender amplifiers on occasion. Landreth uses Jim Dunlop 215 heavy glass slides and Dunlop Herco flat thumb picks. His guitars are fitted with DiMarzio and Lindy Fralin pickups, a special Suhr back plate system, and D'Addario medium nickel wound strings gauges 0.13 - 0.56.
Landreth first played in Clifton Chenier's Red Hot Louisiana Band, as the only white member of the band. In 1981, he released his first record, Blues Attack, which also featured C.J. Chenier on saxophone and Mel Melton on harmonica.[8] In 1982, Landreth and Melton formed the band Bayou Rhythm, and eventually added C.J. Chenier to the lineup. The band recorded Way Down in Louisiana in 1985 [9] Landreth also frequently played in John Hiatt's band, and with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers.
Vince Gill stated that "Tell Me Lover" was based in part on Landreth's song, "Congo Square".[10]
In 1998, Landreth was involved in the multi-artist project "Begegnungen (Encounters)" mounted by Germany's Rock-Superstar Peter Maffay. They performed together on a new version of Landreth's "C'est chaud" on the album and some more songs in the 30 concerts at the arena tour later the same year, documented on the live album Begegnungen Live, released in early 1999. A further guest of Maffay at the Begegnungen album and tour was Keb' Mo'.
Landreth has recorded with Jimmy Buffett, and accompanied him on his 2004,2006, 2007, and 2010 summer tours.
Landreth took the main stage at MerleFest in 2011.
Landreth appeared on HBO's Treme, Season 3, Episode 8[11]
Landreth performed at Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2004, 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2019.[12]
In 2014, Landreth was a guest performer on Eli Cook's album, Primitive Son.[13]
Landreth has released at least the following albums:
with John Hiatt:
with Eric Johnson:
with others: