Greg Mayston
Folk, Blues & Americana
Keeping the traditions alive and kickin' - feisty folk & blazin blues are back
Greg Mayston’s Folk, Blues and Americana play country, folk and blues songs, new and old, and with love for the traditions behind the songs. Now a foursome, they perform throughout the area, notably at Reading’s renowned Global Cafe where they have a first Tuesday of the month residency. Greg has been playing this music on guitar, banjo and mandolin, solo and in bands since the 1970s and was inspired by the iconic acoustic blues performers of the 1920s and 30s to obtain an original National Steel guitar which continues to sing and cry at the heart of Folk, Blues and Americana shows. Neil Warren is an adept player of the mandolin, a tasteful wizard of the chromatic harmonica and master of the wailing blues harp who has played guitar and harmonica with numerous Berkshire and Oxfordshire groups. Providing a warm, deep pulse to the band’s earthy soundscape is George “Les” Calvert, our bass-player and elder statesman, with a remarkable pedigree of bands that includes Mike Cooper’s Machine Gun Company and those “In the Summertime” chaps, Mungo Jerry, as well as several of Reading’s hottest contemporary acts. Finally, beating, brushing and gently reassuring a fine array of ethically sourced percussion is our newest member, Andy Wilkin, who continues to star in similar hats and outfits locally with the Rag and Moan Men and with Ma Bessie’s fine band.
