Joan Vinyals

He took up the guitar as a self-taught player at the age of seven, going on to study solfège and piano at the Conservatori de Música de Barcelona and eventually graduating from the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya with a higher degree in jazz, a style he taught for more than twenty years. A composer and producer as well as a performer, his name is a cornerstone of the music of this country. His guitar moved with elegance and virtuosity through blues, rock, jazz and funk, all of which he absorbed on his travels around the United States. His versatility and skill on the six strings earned him the nickname of “El Dimoni”, by which those closest to him knew him. Bowled over by Jimi Hendrix, he made the transition to the blues essence in the company of artists such as Eric Clapton and Johnny Winter, who led him on to Muddy Waters. Besides working for artists as diverse as Louisiana Red, The Drifters, Pau Riba, Gato Pérez, Juan Perro, Laura Simó, Los Rebeldes, Los Brigatones, Carme Canela, Big Mama or Dani Nel·lo, he wrote soundtracks for film and television, took part in theatre productions and was one of the founders of the Acadèmia Catalana de la Música.