It is the voice that you notice first. It doesn’t sound like it’s coming from a skinny young white kid from North Dakota. It’s more grizzled, more lived-in. It could be the voice of an old blues musician who has seen hard times yet has never lost his spirit. It reminds you of the great Al Green when the fever has hit him and he is singing and sweating from a place so deep it is mesmerizing.
Jonny Lang is the owner of this voice. The young man, best known for fiery guitar licks and from-the-gut singing, has been playing onstage since he was fourteen. His debut album hit big in 1997 with the single “Lie To Me”, propelling him into a meteoric rise to fame and fortune, partying and drugs.
Along the way, Jonny also became a well-respected musician, playing at the first Crossroads concert with Eric Clapton, winning a Grammy, jamming alongside legends like Buddy Guy and BB King, and becoming a popular guest on albums by such diverse artists as Cyndi Lauper, Hanson, Willie Nelson, & Carlos Santana’s upcoming release.
With his new live CD, Live At The Ryman, Jonny is getting back to his roots, back to the bare bones stage energy that he loves so much and capturing just what Jonny Lang is all about. Before his recent show in Washington DC, Glide spoke to Jonny about his music, his heroes, and how one night several years ago he had a life-altering moment with God.
You had something really big happen in your life several years ago. Do you still feel that same intensity today like you did that night when God came into your life?
Oh yea, you know it’s up and down; it’s not always … you know, I think it’s like any other relationship in the sense that I don’t always feel like happy-happy-joy-joy all the time. But it’s a lasting relationship that definitely keeps growing and I feel like it’s ultimately changed me and is still changing me into, hopefully, a better person.
So what happened?
Basically, I just, you know, just to put it in a nutshell, when people had tried to talk to me about God, I just didn’t really want to hear it. I guess I always believed they had had an experience but I had just never had that experience and I just said, you know, I’m not just going to believe something just because you say it’s true. But yea, basically, there was a moment when God became real for me and I had an encounter with God and he changed my life forever.
You’ve said you had fallen into the same old traps of fame that everybody seems to get into with the drugs and the alcohol. After that night did you stop cold turkey or did you have to go through the withdrawal process?
There were some things that stopped immediately and there were a couple of things that took a month or two probably. But it was a very fast kind of overnight thing. I just know that I could not have done that on my own. Nor did I have any intention of changing. I loved it (laughs), that way of lifestyle.
So it was easy to fall into that in the beginning when you were young and just getting into the business?
Absolutely. I think if you’re, especially when you’re younger and you have the ability to not be worn out by it, it just feels good and why would you not want to do something that feels so good, you know. But God gave me the relationship that replaced all that stuff and something much more worthwhile. And I’m very grateful for that.
Do you have any advice for young kids, who seem to be getting younger and younger doing the drugs and alcohol; anything you could say to them, from hind sight, that might help persuade them not to? Or do you think it might be like when they tried to tell you?
I don’t know if I have any advice other than … I think 99% of kids know that it’s bad. They know it can kill you. But it takes a reality check to turn that perceived knowledge into actual intimate knowledge that you’ve experienced. And until that happens to a human being normally you don’t change. Especially when all your friends are doing it, it’s very tough. But it’s just really not worth it. But I don’t think there’s anything that I can say that would impart that kind of knowledge that comes with experiencing it.
What were you like as a kid?
I was a nerd and wanting to be like a wannabe grunge kid (laughs). And that was pretty much me.
Why did you pick up a guitar?
Well, I had always loved music and my Dad took me out to see a band that he loved and that he was friends with called Bad Medicine. They were a blues band and it was pretty much my first concert that I had been to and the guitar player, Ted Larsen, just inspired me. And I said, I want to be like that guy, you know.
Tell us about the first time you got up on a stage to perform. Were you nervous or was it just like, I’m supposed to be here?
I was so nervous, really nervous (laughs). But it was really fun. I got hooked on it pretty quick. Being able to have a lifelong dream, especially up to that point, come true was amazing for me … I was 13 … Not that long of a lifelong dream but (laughs).
So now it’s old hat to you. You can just get up on that stage and go to town.
It’s changed so much. Even in the last couple of years, it keeps turning into a different experience for me. It hasn’t lost it’s value at all. I don’t feel burnt out on the actual music part of it, you know.
You’re out on tour now and you’re doing something called LIVE BY REQUEST at some of the shows. How does that work?
Basically we have a few different set lists that we choose from but if you’re coming to a show in a particular city you can write into the website and request something from the catalog of songs, something that we may not play on a regular basis, and we kind of see which songs get the most votes and try to incorporate those into the set. 
Let’s talk about your new CD. It’s a live one, recorded at the Ryman in Nashville, which has an awesome atmosphere. Is that why you picked it or were the songs just good there?
We had been recording some shows leading up to that one and that one just happened to be the one that kind of turned out the best, I felt like, which I was happy about because I love the Ryman and it’s a good name, I guess, to have on a live record. It’s an historic thing, has a lot of recognition, definitely one of my favorite places to play.
Were these songs part of your normal set list or did you have to pick and choose?
There is some incomplete songs on there just because we couldn’t fit it all on the CD. We could only fit like 70-something minutes and we normally do almost 2 hours. So we had to cut a lot of stuff off of there but we tried to get as much as we could.
The guys you have playing on the CD, are they the same guys on the road with you now?
A few of the guys are different. Different keyboard player and guitar player but the rest of the guys are the same.
Is there a song that will always be in your set list?
There’s a few probably that will be in there just because I enjoy playing them and then there’s some that are there just cause I can never get away with NOT having them in there (laughs). “Lie To Me”, being one of those. I think people wouldn’t be too happy if I didn’t play that one (laughs). I would say if anything “Lie To Me” is probably the song that will always be there.
I’m a major Rolling Stones fan and you got to play with them, opened for them, correct? What were they like?
They were really nice to me and the band. Just very, very nice guys. I just saw Ron Wood again, got to play with him a little while ago and he was such a nice guy. Very charming, jovial characters. They were super nice to me.
You’ve played with a lot of legends over the years. Was there one special person that you were actually nervous that you were going to get to play with?
Pretty much everybody (laughs). I get excited, you know, I guess that’s nervous, but BB King is probably the most nervous I have ever been. At that point in my life he almost didn’t exist as a human being (laughs). He was this icon, like a superhero or something. I had him like that in my mind. Getting to meet him and then play with him was just surreal.
I love his stories that he tells on stage.
Yea, it’s almost like story time with Grandpa BB (laughs).
Is there someone you haven’t played with that you would like to jam with?
I would probably say it’s a tie between Stevie Wonder and James Taylor.
You’ve recorded with different people like Willie Nelson, Hanson, Herbie Hancock, Buddy Guy and you’re on Cyndi Lauper’s new CD. Do you like that different mix of musical styles?
Absolutely. That’s one of my favorite things about getting to do this, collaborating with different people. I love meeting people and trying to learn playing with different types of musicians. That’s probably my favorite part of the whole thing.
You know how the music business has been lately: people aren’t going to the shows as much as they used to. How are you dealing with this?
We’re still doing really good on the road. And fortunately we’re still able to tour as consistently as we ever have and I’m really thankful for that. It’s the only thing I know how to do (laughs). I’m glad for that. It’s been really good.
We talked about “Lie To Me” a few minutes ago. It was such a huge hit. Were you shocked that it became as big as it did?
Yea, I was. I didn’t know what to expect when you make your first record and, yea, I was definitely surprised but very happy (laughs).
How did you handle all the fame? Did it change you?
I don’t know, it probably did. I don’t know what kind of life I would have right now, growing up having a standard childhood …. I’m sure it changed me, but I had pretty good folks around me, people who cared, I felt like, so it never got too too out of control.
With your Turn Around CD, you really seemed to put your heart and your soul and your faith into it. Were you a little nervous that your typical fans might be put off by what you were saying, even though your words were very positive and you were still playing the heck out of that guitar?
I knew that would happen. I knew there would be some people going, ok what’s this now? But I wasn’t nervous about it. Every time you’re releasing another album or play a concert you’re always going to either meet people’s expectations or not. Whether it’s bringing your faith into it or whatever it is, that just goes along with the whole thing. So I expect those things to happen. I tried to make an album that was not preachy and just trying to come from a standpoint of sharing it with people and hopefully in a way that as many people as possible could relate to it and it could be something that was a blessing to the listener and could help them.
I
t won you a Grammy for Best Rock or Rap Gospel Album. Did that validate your gut instinct to do it?
The Grammy was absolutely an honor to win and be recognized in that way. But, you know, the validation for doing it came I think just as we were writing the songs. It just felt right. It felt like a natural progression. It didn’t feel forced.
Does writing come naturally to you?
Sometimes it does and when it doesn’t I try to just wait for it to come naturally again (laughs). As far as the content lyrically of those songs, that was just stuff that was in my heart. Hopefully subsequent ones will be that way too.
Do you think your upcoming music will continue to have this strong spiritual vibe?
I think it’s always going to be a part of it. But to what degree I don’t know. I mean, I’ve lived different scenarios than I ever had before I made that record; just in the last few years and experienced new things and learned a lot more about myself and about life. So it may be something different but I think that will be the fuel of what I do, that at it’s root will always be my relationship with God.
Is it hard not to fall back into those old habits when you’re out on the road?
You know it does get difficult sometimes. My personality, I’m a very addictive type person, with, I think, whatever I do (laughs). I am definitely prone to being tempted by alcohol or stuff like that. It’s something that I’ll go through years of it not being an issue and then you go through a rough time or a rough patch and it becomes a little harder to manage. So, you know, I’ve had ups and downs and definitely a work in progress and not perfect morally by any stretch of the imagination. But I think knowing and feeling God’s forgiveness for me and knowing that He loves me even through profound mistakes that I’ve made is what is really amazing to me and gives me hope.
You’re married. You were with your wife Haylie before and then after your big moment with God. How has she been through all this?
She’s amazing. Absolutely amazing. She has been my best friend, more than anybody else I have known, she has truly been my best friend through all of this. You know it is not easy to be married to someone who is traveling most of the time, let alone raise a family. We got 2 kids and one on the way now. Some of the stuff she’s had to put up with, with me, is just incredible. I am in debt to her forever. I am very happily married. We have our ups and downs too and have had our ups and downs (laughs). We always joke that we feel like an old married couple now … I’m 29; the kids will be 3 in November. Twins, a boy and a girl.
Kids keep you grounded right?
Oh in so many ways they do. It’s another aspect of life that has unfolded that I just never saw coming. It’s awesome.
So what’s next for Jonny Lang? Are you working on a new CD or are you just going to stay on the road for awhile?
I’m one of these just-let-it-flow kind of people that rarely ever try to push something. So the next album thing, I tried to jump into it a little while ago and it just kind of wasn’t happening. Wrote a bunch of material and went in and recorded some stuff and which still may get used. But I’m just waiting for another little patch where I can really focus on it. Probably this winter I’ll go and start recording again and hopefully have another record in the next year or so.
Last question: Do you have a special charity that you would like to mention?
We’ve done several events with St Jude, the children’s hospital [www.stjude.org], and, man, that, you know all charities are of course good causes and I’d hate to favor one over another, but that one just, especially having kids now, that one just kills me. A lot of times the kids come out to the show and just to have all these kids there who are terminally ill in most cases, just so happy, such positive outlook, is just insane, such a reality check. And getting to be a part of that is quite an honor.
