Born In Plymouth, Devon, blues singer/songwriter/guitarist Bex Marshall grew up in a merry previous England-style “combined” household – her paternal nice grandfather was the Squire of Cornwall whereas her mom’s aspect is descended from Irish Romany. For the latter, music has all the time been part of life, and at household gatherings, her uncles would play devices and prop younger Bex on a desk to sing.

A type of uncles, David Kiely, tasted pop stardom as a member of The Marauders, a Merseybeat band that performed The Caravan Membership, had successful in 1963 with “That’s What I Need,” and rubbed elbows with Gene Vincent, the Beatles, Stones, and Roy Orbison. Scoring successful spurred Kiely, who used the stage identify Danny Davis, to splurge on a brand new Gibson Hummingbird. One in all 4 shipped to the U.Okay. in ’63 (David instructed the household Mick Jagger additionally acquired one) it turned a part of the band’s sound and picture.

Earlier than these household sing-alongs, Marshall was listening to her father’s information – José Feliciano and different classical gamers, particularly. Later, one other uncle’s vinyl assortment launched her to traditional blues and Americana. However being within the room when Uncle David performed the Hummingbird was notably formative.

“He was an unimaginable participant and singer, and his voice was a bit like Roy Orbison – very highly effective, with superb vibrato,” she mentioned. “He’d do previous rock-and-roll songs, and it actually affected me. Watching him someday once I was 11, a change went on and I used to be all of a sudden determined to discover ways to play. I didn’t know what I needed to study, however I assumed as soon as I did, I might sit on a seashore wherever on the planet and be cool enjoying guitar (laughs). So I began to pester mother and pop.”

Her obliging dad and mom discovered a primary-school trainer who supplied classes, and as a substitute of counting on an inexpensive newbie instrument, David handed her the Hummingbird. However…
“On the time, I used to be complaining; ‘Why do I all the time get the previous stuff?’ After all I needed a brand-new sparkly one. However my dad and mom settled me a bit; they instructed me, ‘Uncle David is giving his guitar to you as a present.’”

’Fowl in hand, she shortly turned proficient at “nation chords” earlier than a fingerpicking good friend of her mom’s helped her transfer ahead.

“He taught me these great traditional instrumentals by John Williams and that form of factor – stuff I might actually get my tooth into,” she mentioned. “He was giving me fairly troublesome items after a few months, and I used to be actually eager to study.”

At 13, she acquired a Yamaha Pacifica that, whereas simple to play, didn’t take. The Les Paul that adopted it, nonetheless, turned a mainstay when she joined a band enjoying heavy ’80s rock.
After highschool, an unlucky incident noticed Marshall set music to the aspect.

“I used to be in my first relationship, and whereas enjoying guitar someday, the man laughed at me and mentioned, ‘You’ll be able to’t play…’! It might not have been the achieved factor for a teenage lady from Plymouth to venture any music intentions, however I wasn’t taking ‘can’t’ for a solution. Suffice to say that relationship didn’t final very lengthy (laughs).”

She then took to touring, and whereas in Australia, inspiration returned.

“Watching avenue musicians there made me need to play once more, however I knew I needed to increase my sport,” she mentioned.

Subsequent, she visited Indonesia, the place, “I had a guitar product of balsa wooden, and I’d busk day-after-day. I wandered with a companion who regarded like a younger Jesus, and as we walked by means of the small villages, I’d sit with the youngsters, enjoying tunes. Some would ask to take my guitar and off they’d go on an Eric Clapton tune (laughs).”

In ’95, she returned to London and found the 12 Bar Membership, on Denmark Avenue.

“With a very good ingesting buddy, I’d go three or 4 instances per week to observe dwell music. One night time, when the introduced singer didn’t present, the membership requested whether or not anybody needed to play. My good friend pushed me onstage and so they put a guitar in my hand; that was the primary ‘official’ solo London efficiency! I used to be slightly nervous, however they gave me an everyday gig a number of weeks later.”

She paid the payments working as a croupier whereas maintaining her chops and digging additional into instrumental rock, classical, flamenco, ragtime, blues and roots music; most influential had been John Lee Hooker, Rosetta Tharpe, and Bonnie Raitt. Les Paul fingerpickers like Jeff Beck and Mark Knopfler additionally drew consideration.

In 2003, Marshall met legendary pirate DJ/music promoter Barry Marshall-Everitt, and the 2 had been married in ’06. Her first album was 2008’s Kitchen Desk, a song-driven blues disc with large doses of fingerpicking and slide on an Ozark 3515E thinline resonator.

In ’12, she recorded Home of Mercy at Barry’s Snake Pit studio. Within the spring of 2016, he was recognized with most cancers of the urethra, and died a yr later. Within the time since, Marshall has operated Snake Pit in his honor, doing her half to maintain the blues alive within the U.Okay. She additionally makes use of their dwelling in Cyprus to host songwriting retreats with blues artists. Most periods finish with performances for locals.

Kiely died in 2021, and Marshall retains shut care of the Hummingbird, which is likely one of the devices that helps her “get to these beautiful locations” the place creativity flows. It has achieved its share in serving to her win a British Blues award and garner 4 nominations for European Blues Awards.

“It’s very warm-sounding – a giant, jangly form of sound that’s so well-balanced. There’s a magical candy spot; whenever you strum on the entrance fringe of the sound gap, it’s a time tunnel you may bounce proper into. And I can play something on it – slide, ragtime… It’s a beast for strumming, and tones simply come out whenever you need ’em to.

“Each few years, I get it cleaned up and have any little issues cared for,” she added. “I’ve spent some huge cash on it, really (laughs), but it surely deserves to be stored in the very best situation and I like it dearly. It’s definitely the very best guitar I personal, and it’s by no means removed from me. I definitely don’t tour it, however when there’s a particular present the place will probably be protected, I’ll take it out.

This text initially appeared in VG’s August 2024 challenge. All copyrights are by the writer and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.