Jamiroquai, Spice Girls, BTS, 38 Number One Records: The Charmed Life of Johnny Thirkell! Ep. 149

Описание: This episode of The Other Side of the Bell is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass. Makers of the finest handcrafted #trumpet, #trombone & #frenchhorn mouthpieces since 1968.

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Johnny Thirkell is the proverbial musician whom you'd innocently walk past on the street, having no idea that he was the trumpet sound behind hundreds of distinctive hit records, everyone from Jamiroquai to George Michael, Pet Shop Boys (Go West), Katrina and the Waves (Walking on Sunshine), Natalie Imbruglia (Torn), BTS (Dynamite) and so many more. 38 number one records in fact.

Johnny's played and/or toured with Level 42, Tina Turner, Lisa Stansfield, Kylie Minogue, Bjork, Chaka Khan, Bon Jovi, The Who, Rick Astley (at the height of his prime), and played at the Prince's Trust multiple times.

It's not all pop music either, Johnny's played with the Gil Evans Orchestra, the Buddy Rich Orchestra and the BBC Radio Big Band.

So, how did he do it?

Johnny's here to tell the story of how he went from a potential coal mining career to gracing the stage at Wembley, with along the way a regular gig on the QE2 and oh, helping discover the Spice Girls too.

And of course we talk trumpet gear and technique, including life-changing lessons from Carmine Caruso and the difference that playing a gold-plated trumpet made to a commercial jingle!

About Johnny Thirkell:

In a long and varied career, Johnny Thirkell has an impressive record of achievements and unparalleled experience as a trumpet player, producer and latterly as a tech entrepreneur. 

Upon leaving Leeds College of Music, he studied trumpet in New York with the great Carmine Caruso before embarking on a playing career which would see him perform in many genres of music at the highest level. From the B.B.C. Radio Orchestra through the Buddy Rich & Gil Evans Orchestras, and on in to the Rock & Pop industry, Johnny established himself as a versatile and adaptable musician of the highest calibre.​

A measure of his success lies in the fact that his trumpet playing featured on at least 1 album in the UK album chart, continuously, without a break for over 13 years, and at one point he was playing on 11 of the top 50 albums in a single week. 

He has performed on over 6000 recordings, more than 100 top ten albums and 38 US & UK No.1 records, including the recent BTS global smash "Dynamite."
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A natural progression along the way was into record production, and he has produced (or co-produced) over 250 commercial releases, and co-written many of the songs. Indeed, he has had over 500 songs published, including songs for artists as diverse as The Spice Girls (he co-wrote their early songs), Odyssey & The Three Degrees. 

In recent years he has focused on building and selling a number of businesses in the music and technology space. Johnny also enjoys employing his communication skills and experience through writing and speaking, and is the Founder of Elite Music Camps - offering week-long residential music courses taught by some of the finest musicians in the world.

Episode Links:

Buy the book, Blown It, Johnny's stories from his amazing life!
https://www.johnnythirkell.com
Elite Music Camps: 
https://elitemusiccamps.com
Instagram:   / johnnythirkell  
Facebook:   / johnnythirkell  

Bob Reeves Brass Upcoming Events and Appearances:

Texas Music Educators Association Conference, Feb. 11-14, San Antonio, Texas
https://trumpetmouthpiece.com/product...

Dylan Music, Feb. 26-28, Woodbridge, New Jersey
[email protected]

National Trumpet Festival, March 20-22, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
https://trumpetmouthpiece.com/product...

Metropolitan Music, April 10-11, Seattle, WA
https://metropolitan-music.com/https:...

Arkansas Trumpet Day, April 18th, Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR

Podcast Credits:

“A Room with a View“ - composed and performed by Howie Shear
Podcast Host - John Snell
Cover Photo Credit - Johnny Thirkell
Blog Photo Credits - David Harrison
Audio Engineer - Ted Cragg

01:47 Trumpet News
11:00 Johnny Thirkell Bio
12:31 Introduction and Early Influences
18:23 The Brass Band Experience
23:25 Transitioning to a Professional Musician
31:34 Lessons with Carmine Caruso
45:06 Life on the QE2: Lessons and Connections
47:49 Breaking into the London Music Scene
50:04 The Spice Girls: Behind the Scenes of a Phenomenon
01:02:35 Jamiroquai: A Long-Standing Musical Relationship
01:11:56 Organizing Practice: A New Approach
01:17:56 Writing a Book: Crazy Life Stories
01:24:46 Current Projects and Future Plans
01:27:51 Recording with BTS: A Unique Experience
01:29:25 Final Thoughts and Advice for Musicians