Ace guitarist Chantel McGregor heading for Leamington - The Leamington Observer

Ace guitarist Chantel McGregor heading for Leamington

Leamington Editorial 2nd Jun, 2023   0

BLUES rocking Chantel McGregor will be showcasing songs from her forthcoming album when she plays Temperance in Leamington on July 1.

A guitar prodigy, at 14 Chantel was told by major labels she had a “great voice, but girls don’t play guitar like that!”

Ignoring the comments, she enrolled at the Leeds College of Music and became the first student in the college’s history, to achieve a 100 per cent pass mark, with 18 distinctions. Chantel left with a First Class Honours degree in Popular Music and the college’s coveted musician of the year award.

And she has not looked back since having built up a loyal fan base with fiery live shows and acclaimed albums.




Early in her career, Chantel was invited to perform with Joe Bonamassa on two UK tours and soon afterwards she released her 2011 debut album, Like No Other, which amply showcased her talent as both a musician and a singer-songwriter

One critic even said of her playing it was like she was “channelling the ghost of Hendrix” through her fingers.


The album was produced by Livingstone Brown, whose production credits include Ed Sheeran, Robin Trower, and Shakira.

Chantel’s follow up album, Like Control, again produced by Livingstone Brown, was released in 2015 to further acclaim. It brought comparisons to everyone from Jeff Buckley to Marillion to Nick Drake.

She also kept herself busy during lockdown.

She was a featured guitarist on Dr John tribute album Gumbo Blues and also worked over the internet with US-based David ‘Nova’ Nowakowski (Scars on 45), co-writing and recording tracks remotely. Their singles ‘I Will See’ and ‘Jingle Bells’ were released on digital streaming and download platforms.

Throughout lockdown, Chantel also performed a weekly live stream, the Shed Sessions, and released two albums featuring music performed on the sessions.

Throughout 2022, Chantel has been touring both solo and with her band, enjoying being back on the road after the lockdowns. She is currently writing for her third studio album, and will debuting some of the new tracks when she plays Temperance in Bath Street.

Visit www.temperance.bar for further details.

 

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