Packet Of 3

          At the turn of the 21st century, renowned English guitar slinger Graham Lewis joined forces with explosive LA rhythm section John Barton (on bass) and Keith Jones (on drums) to form PACKET OF 3. They borrowed the name (respectfully) from one of Graham's early heroes, Steve Marriott, and set out to continue the great tradition of British Blues begun by the likes of Marriott, John Mayall, and Alexis Korner.

          In the early 60's, Korner had created BLUES INCORPORATED, an R&B group that became a clearinghouse for young English blues rockers like Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker (later to form CREAM with Eric Clapton) and also Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, and Mick Taylor (who, incidentally, took the name of their group, THE ROLLING STONES, from a line in the Muddy Water's song, "Mannish Boy"). All of them had grown up with a love of the African-American music they'd heard from the vinyl records brought over by black American soldiers to English seaport towns like Liverpool and Newcastle on Tyne during World War II. These young, white British rockers emulated their American blues heroes Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, and others, but because of their vastly different life experiences, they brought another kind of "tone" to the music, emphasizing guitars and high energy. They popularized their style of blues in Great Britain and brought it back to America in the form of THE ROLLING STONES, THE YARDBIRDS, the original FLEETWOOD MAC, and JOHN MAYALL'S BLUESBREAKERS, which at various times included guitar greats Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck. Ironically, America started to catch on to its rich cultural heritage because of these second generation English blues fanatics.

           The "new" PACKET OF 3, Lewis, Barton, and Jones, built on the history of their predecessors from the 60's by including elements of soul, pop, and even the punk sound that did not exist back then, to create a modern version of British Blues, steeped in tradition, but extremely entertaining and accessible to a contemporary audience. After sharing the stage with John Mayall and Mick Taylor and wowing audiences throughout Southern California, Barton decided to follow the love of his life to the cold recesses of Minnesota and PACKET OF 3 went on a ten year hiatus. Now, after a few relocations, two marriages, and several successful musical projects (including Keith's long tenure with WICKED TINKERS, seen periodically on Late Night with Craig Ferguson), PACKET OF 3 is back in top form with a new CD, featuring 15 original songs written by each of its members.