Gwyn Ashton

Gwyn Ashton (born 1960, Wales) is a Welsh–Australian blues, rock guitarist and singer-songwriter. He has released ten albums and toured Australia, Europe and North America.

Biography The Welsh-born Gwyn Ashton migrated to Adelaide, South Australia, with his family, in the mid-1960s. He began playing guitar at the age of 12 and was performing in bars at 16 as well as attending festivals across Australia. Ashton moved to Sydney in 1983 where he was lead guitarist and backing vocalist for Swanee in 1985 and Stevie Wright in 1986. While in Sydney he formed his own trio, which performed locally. Ashton supported tours by Rory Gallagher, Junior Wells, Steve Morse and Albert Lee. Ashton issued his debut solo album, Feel the Heat, in 1993 via Upbeat Records. Gwyn Ashton Band members were Ashton on lead vocals, guitars, mandolin and harmonica, Tredrea on drums, percussion and backing vocals and Geoff Brown on bass guitar. It was co-produced by Adam Quaife and the band at Fortissimo Studios, Melbourne with Quaife also on Hammond organ and Colin Mack on harmonica. It was co-produced by Ashton with Andy Parsons. Ashton relocated to England in 1996 and played the European festival circuit for three years. It was recorded at Matrix Studios, London with Ashton joined by producer Dennis Greaves on vibraphone and backing vocals, Brendan O'Neill on drums and Gerry McAvoy on bass guitar and backing vocals. Zee Yimou of hEARd magazine felt that the "sounds here will be familiar to fans of blues & guitar artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan, but there's no copycat syndrome here, rather [Ashton's] music takes a rather different tack on what you might think to listen to [Vaughan's] music". zipworld Mark Watson praised his "superb writing talent in addition to his talent as a master guitarist". AllMusic's Stewart Mason rated it at three-out-of-five stars and explained, "[he] is a very gifted stylist with a good line in mimicry but little in the way of personal expression. Die-hard blues-rock aficionados will likely appreciate Prohibition, but some might find it slightly disappointing."

Ashton has been invited onstage with some of the greatest blues and rock musicians, including ex-Black Crowes Marc Ford, who also asked him to play lap steel on a studio session in Los Angeles. They also played three duo shows together. He jammed with Walter Trout, the legendary Canned Heat and Hubert Sumlin at blues festivals in England and Germany, bassist extraordinaire Jerry Jermott (BB King, Aretha Franklin) and Cactus and former Vanilla Fudge bassist Tim Bogert in Los Angeles and he even sat around David Crosby's dining room table trading licks on acoustic guitar with the former Byrd's legendary singer, songwriter. Jackson Browne and Robert Plant have both commented favourably on Ashton's playing and both been part of his audience. Ashton has even been known to sit around former Rainbow and Alcatraz singer Graham Bonnet in his living room, playing and singing Beatles songs together! He's also played with Steely Dan's Elliott Randal and former Jethro Tull's Mick Abrahams at a fund-raising show in England. Tull's former drummer Clive Bunker was Ashton's first UK drummer, and Ashton played two shows with ex-Rick Wakeman singer Gary Pickford-Hopkins.

During a tour of Spain, Ashton found himself jamming with former Wings drummer Geoff Britten who played on ‘Venus and Mars’. In Austin Texas, he was invited onstage with the hierarchy of the Austin scene including Derek O’Brien, Malford Milligan, Chris Duarte, Roscoe Beck and Frosty.

Eric Johnson's bassist Chris Maresh joined Ashton on a 2018 German tour with Welsh drummer Chris Sharley from the 70s band Sassafrass. Budgie's Burke Shelley gave Ashton a CD to learn their songs as they were possibly looking for a replacement guitarist at one stage. Shelley's blues band opened for Ashton at a Christmas party at Tawe Delta Blues Club in Swansea, Wales. They were introduced by Dire Straits and Rockpile drummer Terry Williams.

Ashton's first Czech Republic gig was with BB King at Golem Blues Festival where he was the only other musician, apart from King's band, allowed in the dressing room prior to King's performance.

Forever pushing the boundaries of his abilities, Gwyn Ashton's critically acclaimed latest release ‘Solo Elektro’ sees him reinvented as an alternative progressive blues-rock solo artist with elements of 1960s garage rock, psychedelia, acoustic roots, dance and chill-out music and some good old-fashioned rock 'n' roll. The album has garnished great reviews from lifestyle magazine Paris Move, Classic Rock Magazine, Powerplay Rock and Metal Magazine, RnR and Australia's Rhythms Magazine who stated ‘Throw Pink Floyd, The Beatles circa ’66 and Rory Gallagher into one big fuzz-filled concoction and there lays Gwyn Ashton's one-man band’.

His 2019 album Sonic Blues Preachers was recorded with John Freeman from the 1970s band Fraternity which also included the frontman Bon Scott, pre-AC/DC. In 2022 Ashton released his solo album "Mojosoul" to celebrate 50 years of playing guitar. He plays all of the instruments on the album including guitars, harmonica and foot drums.

Awards In 2001 French magazine Guitar Part, listed Gwyn Ashton at third position of guitarist of the year, with Jeff Beck and Gary Moore and first and second position. In 2007 his album Prohibition was voted Album of the Year by the British Guitar and Bass magazine.

Discography Feel the Heat (1993) – Upbeat Records Beg, Borrow & Steel (March 1996) – Upbeat Records Fang it ! (2000) – Riverside Records Prohibition (2006) – Dixiefrog Two-Man Blues Army (2009) – Radiogram (2012) – Ragas, Jugs & Mojo Hands (Australia-only 2016) – Solo Elektro (2017) – Sonic Blues Preachers (2019) – Mojosoul (2022) – Grease Bucket (2025)