User:Jpleblancblues1/JP Leblanc

JP Leblanc (born February 9, 1985) is a native of Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada. He is a singer, songwriter, guitarist and performer.

He was christened baby  Stevie Ray Vaughn  by his fans. He is known to crowds of all ages for his energetic performances, guitar magic and passionate lyrics - in both English and French. JP is a born blues man who makes his guitar scream in pity.

He has been playing guitar since the age of 11. As a child, he could always be found singing and dancing, so when he decided to play guitar it was no surprise. His father told him that if he really wanted to learn how to play well, he had to listen to 'the Blues' where the roots of good guitar come from. JP was hesitant at first, saying he didn't want to play 'old-fashioned' music but gave his father's suggestion a chance and soon realized that musicians like Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eric Clapton, BB King and Robert Johnson could really play guitar! From that moment he was addicted to the blues.

Within a year of learning the guitar he was playing in local outdoor concerts and by age 14 he was playing with bands like 'Joe Murphy and the Water Street Blues Band' and 'Andy Cottle and Double Cross ''. At 15, he played at the Carleton Maximum Blues Festival (Carleton, QC) and the Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival (Fredericton, NB) with the Georgette Frye Band.

But it's not just playing guitar and performing that he loves. He loves to sing and write songs. In January 2001, a few weeks before his 16th birthday, he released his first (demo) album  Just the Beginning , in which he wrote the music and lyrics. He is also the lead singer and guitarist. A meeting with the legendary BB King in the spring of 2002 inspired JP to write many other songs which led to the completion of his first full album, "Take me Back", in January 2003. Recorded at Studio H of the CBC, Halifax (NE), under the production and direction of Karl Falkenham and Glen Meisner, JP is accompanied by several well-known blues artists including Joe Murphy, John  Porco  Theodore, Dave Burton, Greg  Fish  Fancy and Dave  Dog  MacKay. The album was officially released on February 15, 2003, on a live hour-long national CBC radio show DNTO (Definitely not the opera).

In January 2006, he finished his second full album, a CD of "French Blues" under the direction of Marc Beaulieu, renowned French producer from Montreal. He was studying at university while recording this album. The album, titled "Le Blues m'emporte" was released on May 15, 2006. Nine of the twelve songs were written by JP. Zachary Richard, renowned Louisiana artist, wrote the lyrics for two of the songs. This partnership was born following a TV5 television program called “Coeur Batailleur” in which Zachary, as host, interviewed JP about his life as an Acadian artist. Another artist from Louisiana, Bruce Daigrepont, provided a song for the album.

Discography

 * Just the Beginning, CD demo, Ferguson Audio Productions (2001)
 * Take Me Back, CBC Studio H (2003)
 * Le Blues m’emporte, DC Productions (2006)