Toby Lee - Aquarius

16-10-2021

Toby Lee (born 27 January 2005) is an English guitarist from Oxfordshire, England. Lee appeared on the television shows Little Big Shots and Ellen Show, and he starred in the musical School of Rock. At eight years old he taught himself how to play. He became a global sensation after playing guitar at BB King's blues club in 2015 when he was ten years old. Toby Lee posted a tribute video to BB King when he was 10 years old. The video went viral and Lee developed a following. After he gained a following on YouTube and on Facebook his career began to take shape. Toby Lee has had 350 million views on Youtube. Lee is now sponsored by Gibson Guitars. In 2016, he played Zack in School Of Rock at the New London Theatre. In 2017 he performed the blues with Ronnie Baker Brooks at the Blues Heaven Festival in Denmark, and the video amassed over 115 million views on Facebook within a year. In 2019, Lee played with Joe Bonamassa at the Royal Albert Hall. Lee is playing on an upcoming Peter Frampton album. Joe Bonamassa has called Toby Lee "a future superstar of the blues". Many refer to him as the future of the blues. Toby's musical journey began at just 4 years old when his Grandma bought him a yellow and green ukulele. This little instrument went all over the place with him and he played it constantly until he'd broken every single string. But it was when he was eight that he received his first full size electric guitar for Christmas. On that particular day he also met Mick Box from Uriah Heep, who happened to be staying at the same hotel. It was from this point that Toby knew exactly what he wanted to do when he grew up. And being the guru he is, Mick continues to be a great source of inspiration for him. In a short time, his love of Blues and Rock became ever apparent, with a variety of riffs by Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Gary Moore, and BB King often emanating from his bedroom. And this passion swiftly pushed him to join the local rock school, The Witchwood School of Rock. Thanks to teacher, Aldie Chalmers, Toby's playing swiftly went from strength to strength and whet his appetite for live performance. It was at this point, however, that Toby's love of music turned a corner. After hearing that BB King was seriously ill, he decided that he had to record a "Get Well Soon" jam for his hero and post it on his Facebook page. Though sadly Mr King passed away a few days later, Toby received a thank you from two of his daughters, and this set the scene for more excitement to come. Incidentally, this particular video has now been viewed over 100 million times. As Toby's weekly Sunday Onesie Jams became a popular Blues fix for music lovers all over the world, so too his guitar-playing profile developed and his reputation grew. Much to his delight, a fabulous UK company, The All-In-One Company, stepped in and provided Toby with some wonderful Onesies to wear for his jams. And then, the unthinkable happened ... Blues icon, Joe Bonamassa, shared one of Toby's videos on his page and dubbed him "a future superstar of the Blues". Things in the Lee household went mad. Chris Evans invited him onto his breakfast show on BBC Radio 2, and celebrity blogger Perez Hilton tweeted about him. By now it was 2015, and Toby was beginning to be in demand. His list of appearances grew : He played a session for legendary broadcaster Whispering Bob Harris at the Cropredy Music Festival. He also flew to Memphis where he played at BB King's Blues Club with the All Star Band. He appeared on TFI Friday twice, including the New Year's Eve Special. He played on stage with US Blues star Walter Trout, and received a standing ovation. And amongst all this, he also featured on many BBC radio interviews and made other national TV appearances during the year. Toby has been associated with Gibson Brands since he was 9 years old. March the same year, he got to actually meet his hero, Joe Bonamassa. And not only was this was a dream come true, but more live performances ensued : Invited on to ITV's 'Tonight at the London Palladium', hosted by Bradley Walsh, Toby played to 2,200 people, and to his delight he was surprised on stage by McFly ! He received an invitation back to the Palladium to perform a Blues Brothers tribute in the final episode of 'Tonight at the London Palladium'. He jumped at the superb opportunity to join headliners, Fairport Convention, as a guest on the main stage at the Cropredy Music Festival. Performing to 20,000 people. When he was 10-years-old, Toby was mentored by British blues star Laurence Jones. Toby has joined Laurence numerous times on stage and he produced Toby's debut EP "Ten". With a band specially selected by Laurence, the five-track EP was recorded at Woodworm Studios in Oxfordshire and featured a guest appearance by Whitesnake legend Bernie Marsden. At just 16-years-old, Toby Lee has experienced more than many musicians do in a lifetime. He has performed with everyone from Joe Bonamassa and Buddy Guy to McFly, appeared on some of the world's biggest TV shows, and enjoyed viral moments that have resulted in over 400 million video views. The immensely gifted guitarist, vocalist and songwriter is now set to achieve another landmark moment when his long awaited debut album 'Aquarius' is released on June 11th. The album has today been launched alongside its lead single 'Take The Wheel'. 'Aquarius' underlines exactly why Toby has become the most hotly tipped blues guitarist of his generation. But while the blues provides the beating heart of the album, see the emotional epic 'The Search For Happiness' or his take on the Leiber/Stoller classic 'Kansas City', it demonstrates that he's a truly versatile musician. Performed with finesse, feeling and a youthful exuberance, 'Aquarius' covers everything from frenetic rockabilly ('Love Bug') to swaggering hard rock ('Real Love') and the pulverising Royal Blood meets Black Stone Cherry attack of 'You Don't Know Me'. "I don't just listen to blues, I'm into all sorts of stuff," says Toby. "I love modern rock and I take some inspiration from it, which is why 'Aquarius' also has a newer approach to it. I wanted to do something that could fit for a younger audience, but that has the blues and rock roots in there. A lot of people say, 'You're a kid, you can't have the blues.' But I don't have to have gone through some trauma, I just play the blues because it's what I enjoy." His eclectic sound is best encapsulated in the new single 'Take The Wheel'. It's a Gen Z answer to an old school driving anthem: the purity and immediacy of a classic AC/DC riff within a blues-tinged hard rocker that recalls Bad Company. Toby explains, "I've always been a fan of AC/DC. I mean, who isn't? That riff came together at the first attempt in just five minutes. The song is about going away, being free, and just having fun." The release of "Aquarius" fulfils another lifelong ambition for Toby. After releasing the low-key instrumental EP 'Ten' in 2016, the timing of an album release had to be right. He took the time to develop both his songwriting skills (half the album was written or co-written by Toby) and his vocals (fans were expecting an instrumental album until he released 'The Search For Happiness' in January). Toby called upon a selection of talented collaborators to help realise his full potential. Wayne Proctor and RavenEye frontman Oli Brown are key producers, co-songwriters and musicians on the album, while another youthful blues guitarist, Laurence Jones, produced a selection of tracks and wrote 'Real Love' specifically for inclusion. Another of Toby's early champions, the Whitesnake veteran Bernie Marsden, wrote the 'Platform 15' instrumental for Toby to add his own flair to. Toby Lee first started playing music when he was just four-years-old, when his grandmother gifted him a ukulele. He was eight when he received his first guitar, a day in which he also coincidentally met Mick Box of Uriah Heap. Word of his talent went global when he posted a 'get well' guitar message to BB King, which proved to be his first viral moment. Since then, he's been a young guy achieving big things : being cast as Zack in the West End production of 'School of Rock', again going viral for his Blues Heaven festival set, and performing with Joe Bonamassa at the Royal Albert Hall. The limited edition double-vinyl and double-CD formats feature the "Jams" bonus disc, which includes a series of instrumentals inspired by Toby's Sunday jam sessions video series. Performed with finesse, feeling and a youthful exuberance, 'Aquarius' covers everything from frenetic rockabilly ('Love Bug') to swaggering hard rock ('Real Love') and the pulverising Royal Blood meets Black Stone Cherry attack of 'You Don't Know Me'. A joy from start to finish. A range of styles and songs but all rock based. The future of rock is indeed bright in this young man's hands. Fab. debut album. Came to my attention via this morning . Exceptional guitarist for his age. Very well constructed if you like modern blues check this out. An incredibly talented young man playing a range of musical styles underpinned by the blues. His playing belies his years. Fantastic. I wonder what his future holds.

1. Lovebug 2:22

2. Real Love 3:15

3. One Foot onthe Path 3:35

4. Key To The Highway 4:10

5. Kansas City 3:55

6. Platform 15 3:31

7. Take The Wheel 3:38

8. The Search For Happiness 6:01

9. It Could Be So Easy 3:35

10. You Don't Know Me 3:21

Bonus Jams Disc

1. Back Street Blues