When I first started visiting Country music clubs in 1990 there were many good bands on the circuit and some included a fiddler. Thirty years on, everything has changed, bands are only occasionally seen in clubs, being replaced by solos and duos and a fiddle is rarley seen. This is a great shame because it always was a traditional Country instrument along with the pedal steel guitar and banjo.
Luckily, Texan fiddler, John Permenter is still on the club circuit and is even available with his band for festivals and larger venues.
John got his passion for Country music from his father. He first took up the fiddle in 1973 and by 1977 he knew his future career was as a Country musician. He quit his job in the construction industry to make a living out of singing and fiddling, learning his trade in dance halls and honky tonks across Texas. In 1987 he joined Clint Black’s band and went on to work with many established Country artists.
In the mid-1990s he began travelling to Europe, building up a strong fanbase in the UK, where he played his first gig in 1996. He was backed by a number of top British Country bands including Memphis Roots and Little Rock. In 2008 he moved to England and after getting married he became a UK citizen. In September 2016 John settled in Ireland where he joined Mike Denver’s band. John relocated back to England in September 2018 and as well as doing solo gigs he now has his own John Permenter Band with Lee J Hodgson and Jon Keys from Memphis Roots and Glenn Rogers.
John has won two CCN awards for Musician of the Year in 2021 and 2022.
Research by Nick Catford.