John Thomas Blues and Ragtime Fingerstyle Guitarist
I am a fingerstyle guitar player living in Hamden, in southern Connecticut, and play instrumental acoustic music, mainly blues and ragtime. My influences range from the blues greats of the 1920s and 1930s to Merle Travis, Chet Atkins, and Jerry Reed. My guitar playing is deeply steeped in American roots music of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Blues, Rags & Beyond...
Playing solo, acoustic music for more than 40 years, my live performances and recordings feature music that ranges from the compositions of classic blues guitarists like Blind Lemon Jefferson and Rev. Gary Davis, to the classic ragtime tunes of Scott Joplin, to the Nashville playing of Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed, and to my original compositions that echo these influences. For many of the blues tunes and rags in my repertoire I have created original arrangements, including adapting ragtime piano pieces to the guitar.
Jonathan Kellerman gave Kalamazoo Gals a shout out in the Sunday New York Times Book Review:
National Public Radio has covered the book a number of times, including a WNYC Guitar Edition in which I received top billing over Richard Thompson and this and this followup story.
I'm also Field Editor editor and frequent contributor to my favorite magazine, Fretboard Journal. In addition to contributing the quarterly print edition, I have a blog on which I post on time-sensitive topics like concert reviews.
Finally, I do, indeed, have a day job as law professor at Quinnipiac University School of law.
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