John Ginty

John Ginty (born 1972) is an American organist, keyboard player, and session musician. He was a founding member of Robert Randolph's "Family Band", and is often seen guesting with such jamband luminaries as the Allman Brothers, Santana, Govt. Mule, Bob Weir and Ratdog, Widespread Panic. In 2001 at the Roseland Ballroom in New York, Ginty was the recipient of the Jammy Award for best new band alongside his Family Bandmates. Ginty has spent a large portion of his career working as a session musician.

Biography Ginty started his career playing a local New Jersey band called "Rose Hill" where he transitioned from a drummer to playing the Hammond B3. He played in this band from approximately 1991 to 1994. Then in 1996 he played organ on Neal Casal’s record Fade Away Diamond Time, which led him to play on records by Whiskeytown, James Iha, and Hazeldine, before joining Jewel’s touring band for MTV Unplugged, Saturday Night Live, the first Lilith Fair tour in 1998, and the following Papillion Tour in 1999. The following years saw him playing on records by Citizen Cope, Matthew Sweet, and Shannon McNally.

In 2000, Ginty got together with pedal steel player Robert Randolph, and helped him form the “Family Band”, which consisted of Randolph, Ginty, and Robert's cousins Danyel Morgan on bass, and Marcus Randolph on drums. After a year of touring, the Family Band released Live At the Wetlands in 2002. The album is a live recording of the band at the famed NYC club recorded by producer Jim Scott. The band recorded a studio follow-up in 2002 again with producer Jim Scott, called Unclassified, which garnered the band two Grammy nominations, one for best rock instrumental performance 46th Grammy Awards and for Best Rock Gospel Album. In that same year, the band backed the legendary Blind Boys of Alabama on the Grammy winning release Higher Ground. According to People Magazine, “John Ginty's organ nicely complement the Blind Boys' vigorous jubilee-style gospel, creating a sound that will indeed take you higher.“

2004 saw Ginty playing on records by Bad Religion, Tift Merritt, Neal Casal, He has played with such artists as Jewel, Matthew Sweet, Citizen Cope, Santana, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Court Yard Hounds, the Dixie Chicks, and many others. as well as the critically acclaimed Like A Bird, Like a Plane by Charlie Mars.

In 2013, Ginty got together with producer Ben Elliott, and began work on his first official studio release, Bad News Travels. The record features special guests Warren Haynes, Martie Maguire, Neal Casal, Alecia Chakour, Albert Castiglia, Todd Wolfe, and Cris Jacobs. They recorded it at Elliott's Showplace Studios in Dover, New Jersey, on the vast collection of vintage analog gear that resides there. Bad News Travels features ten songs, all written by Ginty, and was released September 12, 2013, on Elliott's American Showplace Music label. The new CD has garnered many favorable reviews. Relix Magazine said "Creating a seemingly effortless blend of blues, classic rock, funk and soul, Ginty utilizes his past experience as well as numerous special guests. One minute Todd Wolfe is confidently weaving a guitar solo in the smooth "Peanut Butter" and the next minute, vocalist Alecia Chakour is strutting about on the soulful and spunky "Seven & The Spirit." Several books mention John Ginty including Strangers Almanac by Michael Heaplie on page 47 which talk of Ginty's participation in the making of Ryan Adams' Whiskeytown, one of the biggest selling country music albums of all time. An excerpt from the book can be found here Another book to mention Ginty's important musical contributions is Jambands by Dean Budnick on page 182

In 2013, Ginty was called upon again by Jim Scott to play on a record by the Court Yard Hounds called Amelita. He then joined the Dixie Chicks touring band, playing keyboards on their “Long Time Gone Tour”.

On June 11, 2014, John Ginty entered the Showplace Studios to record the Bad News Travels Live DVD. Ginty recreated music from his Bad News Travels CD. Guesting were Albert Castiglia, Todd Wolfe, Cris Jacobs, Jimmy Bennett and Alexis P. Suter.

In November 2019, Ginty joined the newly formed Allman Betts Band.

Discography

Year Album Artist Credits 1995 Fade Away Diamond Time Neal Casal Organ, Piano, Wurlitzer 1996 Rain, Wind & Speed Neal Casal Organ (Hammond), Piano 1997 Field Recordings Neal Casal Organ, Piano, Wurlitzer 1997 Strangers Almanac Whiskeytown Keyboards, Organ (Hammond), Piano, Piano (Electric), Wurlitzer 1998 Basement Dreams Neal Casal Composer, Engineer, Mixing, Organ, Piano, Producer 1998 Christmas to Remember Velvel Bells, Organ, Piano 1998 Let It Come Down James Iha Melodica, Organ (Hammond) 1999 In Reverse Matthew Sweet Electric Harpsichord, Organ, Piano, Piano (Electric), Tack Piano 1999 Mustango Jean-Louis Murat Wurlitzer 2000 Jumbo Bill Kelly Organ (Hammond), Piano 2001 Charmed Matthew Harrison Keyboards 2001 Get Used to It Wings over Water Keyboards, Organ (Hammond) 2001 Onion Dream Meghan Cary Keyboards, Organ, Piano 2001 Pulling up Atlantis Demolition String Band Organ 2001 Sad Girl Amy Allison Organ, Piano 2001 Sway Kathy Phillips Keyboards, Organ (Hammond), Piano 2002 33 1/3 Grand Street Mark Geary Organ (Hammond) 2002 Citizen Cope Citizen Cope Handclapping, Organ, Percussion, Piano 2002 Dream of Love Todd Sheaffer Organ (Hammond), Piano 2002 Higher Ground The Blind Boys of Alabama Organ (Hammond), Piano, Wurlitzer 2002 Live at the Wetlands Robert Randolph & the Family Band Organ (Hammond) 2002 Shaman Santana Keyboards, Organ 2003 Lonely for a Lifetime Dana Fuchs Organ (Hammond), Piano 2003 Poor Man's Son Franky Perez Organ (Hammond) 2003 To My Surprise To My Surprise Musician 2003 Unclassified Robert Randolph & the Family Band Composer, Organ (Hammond), Piano 2004 Austin City Limits Music Festival: 2003 Organ (Hammond), Piano 2004 Deep Field South Cargun Keyboards, Organ, Producer 2004 Leaving Traces: Songs 1994-2004 Neal Casal Melodica, Organ, Organ (Hammond), Piano, Wurlitzer 2004 "Los Angeles Is Burning" [US Single] Bad Religion Organ (Hammond) 2004 The Clarence Greenwood Recordings Citizen Cope Keyboards, Organ, Synthesizer, Synthesizer Strings 2004 The Empire Strikes First Bad Religion Organ (Hammond) 2005 Geronimo Shannon McNally Composer 2006 Every Waking Moment Citizen Cope Arp Strings, Bells, Clavinet, Fender Rhodes, Keyboards, Melodica, Organ (Hammond), Piano, Synthesizer 2006 Fireside Live John Ginty Keyboards, Organ 2006 The Bridge The Bridge Additional Personnel, Organ 2006 Matt Angus Matt Angus Organ (Hammond), Piano 2006 No Wish to Reminisce Neal Casal Organ (Hammond) 2006 There and Back Again Wiser Time Hammond B3 Organ, Piano 2007 And Then There Were None Cargun Piano, Producer 2007 Bread on the Waters Bill Kelly Piano 2009 Like a Bird, Like a Plane Charlie Mars Hammond B3 Organ, Piano 2009 Roots and Wings Neal Casal Hammond B3 Organ 2011 Warren Haynes Presents the Benefit Concert, Vol. 4 Warren Haynes Group Member, Organ 2012 Blackberry Light Charlie Mars Hammond B3 Organ, Keyboards, Piano 2012 Living the Dream Albert Castiglia Hammond B3 Organ, Piano 2012 One Lovely Day Citizen Cope Keyboards, Piano 2012 Sweeten the Distance Neal Casal Hammond B3 2013 Amelita Court Yard Hounds Hammond B3 Organ, Percussion, Piano 2013 World of Strangers Zoe Muth Hammond B3 2013 All Over the Map John Kasper Hammond B3 2013 Bad News Travels John Ginty Composer, Hammond B3, Piano, Piano (Electric) 2013 Before the Sun Comes Up John David Kent Keyboards, Organ 2013 Morning Glory Mary Macgowan Hammond B3, Piano 2013 The Product Cosmic American Derelicts Clavinet, Hammond B3, Piano, Synthesizer 2013 Too Long Coming Bill Griese Composer, Drums, Keyboards, Mixing, Percussion, Producer 2015 Electric Woman Eliana Cargnelutti Hammond B3 Organ, Piano 2016 John Ginty Performs Music of Elvis Presley at The Roller Rink John Ginty Hammond B3 Organ 2020 Bless Your Heart The Allman Betts Band Keyboards