BioDisc

John Kribs Music

Biography / Discography

John Kribs is an instrumentalist, singer and songwriter whose talents have garnered 35 years of critical acclaim. At the age of 12, he joined The Blue Mystics, a hard working and popular top 40 band . In 1968 after winning several Battle of Bands contests he appeared with The Mystics on CBOTs' Saturday Date ( The Canadian American Bandstand). Along with rock n roll, John performed every sunday as part of an award winning gospel/ folk group called David and the more theatrical God Squad. He was a member of his school choir and Canta Sera (evening singers choral group). Totally engaged in music John began writing and arranging his own poems and songs. By the age of 17 his repertoire included dozens of his own compositions and arrangements.

After high school John attended SUNY Potsdam studying art, philosophy and music. Leaving school in 1973 he spent the next year touring Colorado and Wyoming with the Denver based rock band, Quick. The experience in Denver was a total education in the hard world of professional traveling musicians. Toughened and wiser he returned to Potsdam and finished his degree but continued to play in the many coffeehouses and bars in the area.

In 1976 , with a twelve string guitar, driving the stereotypical VW van and inspired by the original acoustic music of the coffeehouse scene John set out to make a life in music. He traveled the northeast for three years playing to appreciative audiences at hundreds of colleges,coffeehouses,bars and festivals. In 1979 he formed The Racquette River Rounders with Danny Gotham and Michael Hadfield and from 1979 - 1983 and associated with Adirondack Records, he recorded 2 LPs of original and traditional music, produced an LP by jazz guitarist Paul Meyers and served as studio player for a series of regional singer-songwriter albums.The Rounders alter ego The Rolling Clones was never far away. A group prone to wild guitar jams, costumes and special mystery guests the Clones were the epitome of garage band experience.

In 1984 John formed Johnny & The Triumphs, a roots rock/rock a billy band and a new venue for Johns original songs. Their 1987 INDIE release 'Johnny and the Triumphs', featured 9 of John's songs and reached to the top of the American play charts in France, going to #1 in the cities of Bordeaux and Sens. The bands popularity in the northeastern bar and college scene allowed them all the work they could handle but after twelve years and two albums it was time for a change.

For the next 5 years beginning in the late fall of 1996 John was a member of The McKrells; a unique blend of celtic tradition, bluegrass, and latin rhythm. The McKrells gave John a place to experiment with the fusion of musical styles and work with some of the very best musicians in the country. They were elected to The Capital Area Music Association Hall of Fame, have been consistently voted Best Acoustic Band by Metroland reader polls and press and were voted Best Bluegrass Band by the Northeast Country Music Association in 2000 and 2001.

In december 2000 John released his first solo recording Vibratile on Draguin Records (Check out the reviews and radio play in the NEWS section)

Johns' songs have been used on National Public Radio's 'Car Talk' and published by CBS and Boptalk Music. An accomplished guitarist, John is equally at ease on fretless bass, mandolin, and banjo. His voice has been described by reviewers as 'clear', 'smooth', 'haunting' and 'captivating'. During his long career John has served as opening act for such artists as Arlo Guthrie, The J. Geils Band, James Cotton, Joe Cocker, Jorma Kaukonen, Robert Cray, Chubby Checker, John Hammond, Henny Youngman, Dave VonRonk, Sha Na Na, Johnny Copeland, Norman Blake, Sam Bush, The Clancy Brothers and others. He has performed in Denmark and Norway as well as throughout the US and Canada..John continues to perform with both The Racquette River Rounders as well as Johnny and the Triumphs. You can also see him with dobro wizard Kevin Maul and the mysterious "killer super group" The Von Bulows.

Discography

Johnny's Band Recordings

Almost Christmas

Delia

Gotham & Kribs

R3- The Racquette River Rounders- Blue Line Recordings- 2001

Vibratile - John Kribs - Draguin Records 1999

Blues -Various Artists - JKM 1999

The McKrells Christmas Album - The McKrells - Draguin Records 1999

The McKrells Live - The McKrells - Draguin Records - 1999

This Past Year - The McKrells - Two Twins Records - 1998

The Racquette River Rounder Collection - Adirondack Records - 1995