Gwyn Ashton

Gwyn Ashton

Gwyn Ashton is a blues and rock singer-songwriter from Wales and Australia, born in 1961. His work draws on pre-war Delta blues as well as country, swamp, jazz, rock, soul and folk, and he plays a range of acoustic and electric instruments. These include a 1936 National resonator guitar, a Weissenborn lap-slide and other guitars used in both acoustic and amplified settings.

Style and approach

Ashton combines traditional blues elements with modern techniques such as looping guitars, scratches and other percussive sounds. His recordings and performances place blues within a broader rock context, and his songs reflect long experience on the road and in the studio. He works as a duo with percussionist and drummer Kev Hickman, known as “Killer” Kev Hickman, whose role provides the rhythm foundation for Ashton’s guitar-led material.

Collaborations and touring

He collaborates and records with a wide range of established musicians. Among those he has toured with are B.B. King, Ray Charles, Buddy Guy, Mick Taylor, Rory Gallagher, Peter Green, Junior Wells, Johnny Winter, Canned Heat, Robin Trower, Jeff Healey, The Yardbirds, Status Quo and Magnum. He also records with Kim Wilson of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Robbie Blunt, Chris Glen and Ted McKenna, Don Airey, and Gerry McAvoy with Brendan O’Neill.

Other projects and instruments

In 2010, Italian guitar maker Liutart presents Ashton with a signature guitar model designed to his own specifications, which he uses as an electric slide instrument. He also fronts Band of Friends, a Rory Gallagher memorial project, after replacing Brian Robertson in the group alongside Gerry McAvoy, Brendan O’Neill, Lou Martin and Mark Feltham.