Aynsley Lister

Aynsley Lister is a British blues-rock guitarist, singer and songwriter from Leicester, United Kingdom. Born in 1976, he starts playing guitar at eight and gives his first concert at 13, performing in a bar band. He learns the instrument by playing along to his father’s old 45s by Freddie King, John Mayall and Eric Clapton.

Early bands and first recordings

By the age of 18, after playing in several bands, Lister forms his own group. That band records Messin' With The Kid in 1996 and Pay Attention! in 1997. Three songs he writes on the second album attract the attention of Thomas Ruf, the owner of Ruf Records.

Recording career

In 1998, Lister signs a record deal with Ruf Records and records his first major album, Aynsley Lister, produced by Jim Gaines. The album mainly features his own compositions and includes a guest appearance by Walter Trout. It leads to touring in Europe and work with other blues players.

His music is rooted in blues, blues rock and rock and roll, but his own material also draws on contemporary influences, with harder rhythms and guitar work that recalls early Eric Clapton. He records with Jesse Davey of The Hoax on Everything I Need in 2000 and All Or Nothing in 2002, both produced by Greg Haver.

Everything I Need becomes his debut US release in 2006, ahead of a US tour, and receives strong critical attention. His fourth studio album, Upside Down in 2007, is his first album made up entirely of original material and is produced by Lister himself.

Labels, management and later albums

In June 2008, Lister changes to ARM Management and signs to Manhaton Records in August of the same year. He releases Equilibrium in 2009, produced by Steve Darrel Smith and featuring Robbie McIntosh, Paul Beavis and Simon Johnson. After that, he and his band relocate to the Tower Arts Centre and record a live set there for Tower Sessions, which is released on Manhaton Records in 2010 and is voted Best Live Album in the 2011 Blues Matters Writers Poll.

His tenth album, Home, appears in 2013. It is the debut release on his own label, Straight Talkin' Records, which he sets up with his fiancée and manager, Stephanie Wildey.

Live work and recognition

After his first album, Lister begins opening for artists including Buddy Guy, Robert Cray and John Mayall, as well as Bryan Adams and Fun Lovin Criminals. He goes on to headline major festivals in Europe, plays the Heitere Open Air in Switzerland twice to 12,000 people, performs on the main stage at the Bayfront Blues Festival in Minnesota in 2006, and is invited to sit in with Delbert McClinton at the Pinedale Blues Festival in Wyoming, where he stays on stage for the second half of the show. In 2009 he opens for Lynyrd Skynyrd on the UK dates of their God and Guns tour, playing to more than 16,000 people. In 2010 he headlines at Glastonbury and shares a stage with ZZ Top at the Skånevik Bluesfestival in Norway.

He is the only British artist included in Classic Rock’s 2007 list of the Top 10 Contemporary Blues Artists.