Legendary US guitarist to play Mayo gig this summer

It’s like Christmas has come early for fans of garage blues and psychedelic rock music this July in Ballina.

None other than Johnny Walker, the man credited with teaching Jack White of The White Stripes how to play slide guitar, is bringing his own band, All Seeing Eyes (Kentucky, USA), to the NCF Cultural Co-Op on Pearse Street, Ballina, on Friday, July 4.

Walker (harmonica and guitar) started out as a founding member of Detroit’s Soledad Brothers whose first single, 'Sugar & Spice', was recorded at Jack White’s house.

White had been planning on asking Johnny Walker to join The White Stripes, making them a trio, but those plans were interrupted when Walker chose to study psychiatry. He would, however, play guitar on two tracks of The White Stripes' debut LP, released in 1999.

Legendary DJ John Peel also included the Soledad Brothers track ‘Break 'em On Down’ on his only curated compilation, Fabric Live. Jack White’s Third Man Records will also re-release the Soledad Brothers albums later in 2025.

With Lance Kaufman (drums) and Kane Kitchen (bass) making up the All Seeing Eyes rhythm section, Ballina audiences can expect to hear classic Soledad Brothers tracks mixed with tracks from the new All Seeing Eyes album, Trone des Fleur (Masonic Records), due for release in July.

For ticket information, visit https://thencf.art/events.