{{Short description|English guitarist and singer}} {{Distinguish|John Scofield|text=American guitarist John Scofield}} {{BLP sources|date=April 2013}} {{Use British English|date=August 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians --> | name = Matt Schofield | image = Matt Schofield, Montreal 2016-07-04 - 16.jpg | caption = Matt Schofield in 2016. | background = solo_singer | birth_name = Matthew Schofield | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1977|08|21}} | origin = Manchester, England | instrument = Guitar, vocals | genre = British blues, electric blues, blues rock, jam band | occupation = Musician, songwriter, record producer | years_active = 2000–present | label = Nugene Records | website = [https://www.mattschofield.com Matt Schofield official website] }}
'''Matt Schofield''' (born 21 August 1977, Manchester, England)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nugenerecords.com/artists.php?id=1&page=biography |title=Artists |publisher=Nugene Records |date= |accessdate=11 December 2012}}</ref><ref name="AMG">{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p655700/biography|pure_url=yes}}|title=Matt Schofield|author=Chris True |publisher=Allmusic |accessdate=12 November 2011}}</ref> is an English blues guitarist and singer. His band, the Matt Schofield Trio, play their own material, a blend of blues, funk and jazz, as well as covers of blues classics such as Albert Collins' "Lights Are On, But Nobody's Home".
Schofield is regarded as one of the most distinctive and innovative British blues guitarists, and has been rated in the top ten of British blues guitarists by ''Guitar & Bass Magazine''. Schofield's prowess has taken his band to twelve countries, seen him playing with musicians including Buddy Guy and Robben Ford, and brought a note in the ''Penguin Book of Blues Recordings'' as one of only two living British artists to gain the maximum four-star rating. In addition, he has been admitted to the British Blues Awards Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishbluesawards.com/hall-of-fame/4581367378 |title=Hall Of Fame |publisher=British Blues Awards |date= |accessdate=2016-02-29}}</ref>
== Influences ==
Schofield's guitar playing is often likened to that of Robben Ford in its melodic and fluid style, and jazzy lines.<ref>[http://www.guitaredge.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=148:matt-schofield-blues-next-big-thing&catid=45:interviews&Itemid=66 ] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091002195117/http://www.guitaredge.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=148%3Amatt-schofield-blues-next-big-thing&catid=45%3Ainterviews&Itemid=66 |date=2 October 2009 }}</ref>
Schofield has been influenced by B.B. King, Freddie King, Albert King, Muddy Waters, Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, Albert Collins, Jimi Hendrix, Billy Gibbons, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan, and Tomo Fujita.<ref> {{cite web | title= Musician Matt Schofield (Guitar) | publisher= Allaboutjazz.com | access-date= 11 December 2012 | url= https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/matt-schofield | url-status= live | archive-url= https://archive.today/20120720131243/http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/musician.php?id=16871 | archive-date= 20 July 2012 }} </ref>
==Career==
===Recordings=== Schofield has recorded five studio albums and four live albums. The first of the live discs, ''The Trio, Live'' was recorded at the Bishop's Blues club at The Half Moon, Bishop's Stortford in 2004 and, funded and released by Richard Pavitt on his Nugene record label, gave the band their first breakthrough.<ref name="AMG"/> The first studio album, ''Siftin' Thru Ashes'' was released in 2005. This album showcased Schofield as a songwriter, writing or co-writing eight out of eleven of the tracks. AllMusic called Schofield's approach "an enjoyable demonstration of what can happen when blues-rock and blues-jazz are united". The second live album, ''Live at the Jazz Cafe!'' was recorded at the London Jazz Cafe in April 2005, and was made available as a web only release. Schofield is one of only two living British artists to be given a four star (excellent) rating in the ''Penguin Book of Blues Recordings''.{{Citation needed|date=November 2011}}
The release of ''The Trio, Live'' prompted Schofield to be featured in a ''Guitarist'' magazine article, listing the nine notable up and coming blues guitarists, Schofield being the only non-American. Of the album they said "britblues meets jazz via N'Orleans – all played with the kind of sizzling guitar that just does not often surface in Fairford, Gloucestershire".{{Citation needed|date=November 2011}} In 2007, ''Guitar & Bass Magazine'' picked Schofield as one of the "Top 10 British Blues Guitarists of All Time". In August 2009, Schofield released ''Heads, Tails, & Aces'', his third studio effort. The next year (2010) the band collected the Album of the Year award at the British Blues Awards<ref name="BBA">{{cite web|url=https://britishbluesawards.com |title=Home Page |publisher=British Blues Awards |date= |accessdate=11 December 2012}}</ref> for this album, and released ''Live from the Archive'',<ref name="mattschofield.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.mattschofield.com/albums/live-from-the-archive/ |title=Live From The Archive |publisher=Matt Schofield |date=2010-07-12 |accessdate=2017-07-18}}</ref> recorded in 2007 in the Netherlands. Schofield won the British Blues Guitarist and Jonny Henderson won the British Keyboard Player award, and they both won these awards in 2011, too.<ref name="BBA"/>
In 2011, the trio released their fourth album ''Anything but Time'', with Kevin Hayes on drums and John Porter as record producer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mattschofield.net/captcha/index.php?d=mattschofield.net&pg=bad|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20140826193346/http://www.mattschofield.net/captcha/index.php?d=mattschofield.net&pg=bad|url-status=dead|title=banned interdit verboden prohibido vietato proibido|date=26 August 2014|archivedate=26 August 2014|website=archive.is|accessdate=21 June 2018}}</ref> Guitarinstructor.com, a part of the Hal Leonard organisation, has this album as No 5 in their top 10 albums of 2011, while ''Mojo'' magazine picked it as No 1 of Blues albums in 2011.
In 2012, Schofield made available a third live album ''Ten From The Road'', consisting of material performed live in November 2011 by Schofield with Henderson & Hayes.
He released his fifth studio album, called ''Far As I Can See'', in February 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/far-as-i-can-see-mw0002611582/releases |title=Far as I Can See - Matt Schofield | Releases |publisher=AllMusic |date= |accessdate=2016-02-29}}</ref>
Schofield has played guitar for a number of Dana Gillespie's albums, including ''Back to the Blues'' (1998), ''Experienced'' (2000), ''Songs of Love'' (2001), ''Staying Power'' (2002), ''These Blue Nights'' (2006), and ''Live With the London Blues Band'' (2007), and with The Lee Sankey Group's ''My Day Is Just Beginning'' (2000) and ''She's Not Alone (EP)'' (2000). He has also played guitar on Dino Baptiste's ''Two Timing Lover Boy'' (1999), The Lester Butler Tribute Band's ''So Lowdown Tour'' (2002), Earl Green's ''A Different Picture'' (2005), The Backbones' ''New Road Sessions Vol. 1'' (2006), JL Fulks' ''On Down the Road'' (2016), and Federico Luiu's ''Walkin' The Blues''. He co-produced Ian Siegal's ''Meat & Potatoes'' (2005) and produced Siegal's ''At The North Sea Jazz Festival (DVD)'' (2006), ''Swagger'' (2007), and ''Broadside'' (2009). Schofield appears on the compilation albums ''Mustique Blues Festival'' (1999, 2000, 2004), ''Basil´s Bar Blues'' (2003), and ''The Six Sessions'' (2010).
===Band=== Schofield performs with an organ trio (guitar, organ, and drums).<ref name="AMG"/> Organ trios are mostly associated with the 1950s and 1960s US soul jazz groups led by organists such as Jimmy Smith. Blues bands more commonly use trios of guitar, bass and drums, quartets (guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums) or quintets (guitar, rhythm guitar, keyboards, bass, and drums). In Schofield's organ trio, organist Jonny Henderson plays a Hammond organ, performing basslines using his left hand, and playing chords and lead lines with his right hand. The trio's drummer is Evan Jenkins. Jeff Walker played bass on the final track of ''Siftin' Thru' Ashes''. In 2009, as of the recording of ''Heads, Tails & Aces'', The Matt Schofield Trio became The Matt Schofield Band, a four-piece, featuring Jeff 'The Funk' Walker on bass, and also replacing Evan Jenkins with Alain Baudry. Jeff Walker was later replaced by Spanish bassist Javier Garcia Vicente. At a concert at the Swindon Arts Centre<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.swindon.gov.uk/artscentre |title=Arts Centre – Swindon Borough Council |publisher=Swindon.gov.uk |accessdate=11 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121201045950/http://www.swindon.gov.uk/artscentre |archivedate=1 December 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> on 22 October 2009, the band reverted to a trio. In June 2010, Kevin Hayes, replaced Evan Jenkins in the band. The 2012 Europe Tour, the trio was back with its original formation, with Matt Schofield, Evan Jenkins and Jonny Henderson.
===Endorsements and gear=== Boutique amplifier company Two-Rock developed the Schofield Signature amplifier for him. According to Schofield, the amplifier is "simply the best amplifier I've ever plugged into, and I'm honoured it carries my name".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.two-rock.com/models/schofield-signature/ |title=Retired Models - Two-Rock Amplification |website=Two-rock.com |date=2014-06-20 |accessdate=2016-02-29}}</ref>
Japanese effects pedal company Free The Tone developed the MS SOV SPECIAL overdrive pedal for him and released it as a limited edition product in 2013. A full production version, the MS SOV MS-2V, was later released in 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freethetone.com/en/products/effects_signature/ |title=Free The Tone – English | EFFECTS – SIGNATURE |website=Freethetone.com |date=2014-06-20 |accessdate=2016-02-29 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160229152723/http://www.freethetone.com/en/products/effects_signature/ |archivedate=29 February 2016 }}</ref>
==Discography== *2004: ''The Trio, Live'' (NUG601) *2005: ''Live at the Jazz Café'' (NUG503) *2005: ''Siftin' Thru' Ashes'' (NUG501) *2007: ''Ear to the Ground'' *2007: ''Live from the Archive'' *2009: ''Heads, Tails & Aces'' *2010:''Live From The Archive'' *2011: ''Anything But Time'' *2012: ''Ten From The Road'' *2014: ''Far As I Can See'' *2025: ''Many Moons / Vol.1''
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[https://www.mattschofield.com Matt Schofield official website] *[https://www.nugenerecords.com Nugene Records] *[https://britishbluesawards.com/# British Blues Awards] *[https://www.mythvscraft.com/post/133969141256/episode-5-matt-schofield-matt-schofield Interview with Matt Schofield on Myth vs. Craft podcast]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Schofield, Matt}} Category:1977 births Category:Living people Category:English blues guitarists Category:English male guitarists Category:English blues singers Category:English blues rock musicians Category:21st-century English singers Category:21st-century English guitarists Category:21st-century English male singers Category:Provogue Records artists