Young Man From Texas an Old Hand at Playing Blues Guitar

Texas guitarist Jake Andrews, just 17 in April, plays guitar and sings as if he’s not a day shy of 35. Considering all the performance experience the young man has, it’s not surprising.

Andrews, who performs at B.B. King’s on Friday night, first picked up guitar when he was 5; started playing professionally at 8; sat in with the likes of Albert King, Otis Rush, B.B. King and others by the time he was 9 and appeared on national television on CBS’ “The Osgood File” when he was 10.

At 12, he traveled with the house band of Antone’s (the renowned Austin, Texas, blues club) to perform at several European blues festivals, and later he performed with Gatemouth Brown on PBS’ “Austin City Limits” and with Asleep at the Wheel at the 1994 San Francisco Blues Festival.

Obviously, Jake is not your average 17-year-old guitar player.

“I grew up doing this--my dad put a guitar in my hands as soon as I could walk around,” Andrews said. “Growing up in Austin didn’t hurt either.”

Jake’s dad, John Andrews, who didn’t start playing guitar until he was 16 or so, got his doctorate in rock ‘n’ roll the old-fashioned way--he earned it by playing lead guitarist in the 1960s rock band Mother Earth. The group, which featured singer Tracy Nelson on lead vocals, recorded several albums and toured nationally with major acts. Today John owns a ceiling-fan store in Austin and manages his son’s career.

But does that career get in the way of the normal teenage stuff--school, friends, girlfriends?

“I got through the teenage thing a long time ago,” said Jake.

Jake admits that back in the old days when he was 9 or 10 and his father would take him to blues clubs, as the night wore on, he used to get tired and bored.

“What do I care about Buddy Guy?” he admits he used to think. “I have to go to school in the morning.”

But he’s changed his tune.

“I’m having a lot more fun now than I ever did before,” said Jake.

Besides performing and recording demos in Los Angeles and Austin, Jake’s also working on an early graduation from high school so that he can focus on his music.

“Sometimes, I’m out till 3 in the morning playing, and then I have to get up to go to school--but I get by,” he said. “I’m concentrating on my career.”

Jake’s been offered recording contracts but hasn’t signed any yet.

“We’re trying to hold out for something better,” Jake said. “I’ve been out to L.A. about once a month for the last two years.”

Jake Andrews performed at B.B. King’s in Universal City last week during the KLON-FM’s blues caravan. He led his band through a rousing set of blues and swing music that was enthusiastically received. Drummer Tommy Taylor and bassist Jon Blondell, a couple of Austin pros who are years beyond their teens, provided more than ample accompaniment.

But Jake was definitely the main attraction.

He sings and plays with authority. He’s even developed a cool, Elvis-like sneer that serves him very well on stage. Although he’s playing the blues, Andrews likes other styles of music as well.

“The blues has a lot of soul, but we’re not a 12-bar blues band,” Andrews said. “We’re branching out and expanding.

“To me, music is music. I’m into old country, jazz, rock ‘n’ roll--anything that I’m attracted to.”

See him soon.

* Jake Andrews plays Friday night at B.B. King’s, Universal CityWalk. (818) 622-5464. $12 cover.

*

Country Crooners: The Sterling Silver Inn is trying something new by offering some old country music favorites at the Sunland club.

Rather than hire a local dance band, owners Ruben Carranza and Ronald Battaglia are bringing country singer Johnny Lee in for a couple of shows this weekend and the Cliffie Stone Show with singer Molly Bee and the Riders of the Purple Sage on Aug. 9.

Back in 1980, Lee was about the hottest thing around in country music. His song “Looking for Love (in All the Wrong Places)” was featured in the movie “Urban Cowboy.” That soundtrack album sold over 3 million copies, and it was followed by a string of hits the next few years that included “One in a Million,” “Pickin’ Up Strangers” and “Prisoner of Hope.”

For years, Cliffie Stone was acknowledged as the king of country music on the West Coast. His show “Hometown Jamboree” ran on radio and television from 1946 to 1960. Produced here in Los Angeles, the Jamboree gave a big break to many young singers, including Johnny Cash, Eddy Arnold, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Molly Bee and Merle Travis. After the Jamboree went off the air, Stone was still active as a record producer and music publisher. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1989.

* Johnny Lee will perform in concert at 7 and 10 p.m. Saturday at the Sterling Silver Inn, 8737 Fenwick St., Sunland. 7 p.m. dinner show, $35; 10 p.m. show, $24.50. Cliffie Stone Show at 7 and 9 p.m., Aug. 9, $20. (818) 951-7979.