Sugarkane evolved from original John O'Leary Band which was established in 2002. In 2009 the name was changed and since then the band has trail blazed an unique and uncompromising brand of blues based music and in the course of it's journey, has both thrilled and challenged audiences wherever it has played. The band's musical foundation lies wholeheartedly in the blues but there is also a hefty mix of jazz, funk, Latin, rock and even reggae to produce a potent individual musical brew. Noted for it's jamming approach, today, Sugarkane is an established and popular attraction on the British blues, rock & jazz scene. The band today consists of founder John O'Leary (harmonoica/vocals), Steve Wright (guitar/vocals), Roger Inniss (bass), Jools Grudgings (keys/vocals) and Joachim Greve (drums), In March of 2019, the band lost guitarist Jules Fothergill, one of it's founding members.
As a 5 piece band, Sugarkane is a breath of fresh air in a genre dominated by guitar/bass/drum trios.
Finding a pigeon hole for this band is impossible! It has been described as " blues harmonica meets The Mahavishnu Orchestra" by Blues Matters magazine and by The Times newspaper as being "sprung like an industrial coil". Sugarkane
is a band that will take you on a roller coaster of a ride. Every
member of the band is acknowledged by fans and critics alike as being
among the very best on their respective instruments playing in Britain at the present time.
In 2011 the album "Two For The Show" was released to universal critical acclaim and headed the list of best releases by Blues Matters magazine. In addition, John was voted No. 2 in the harmonica category by Blues Matters in 2011 and again in 2013.
- select a musician's name to read his personal biography -
