Bernie Marsden is an English rock and blues guitarist born in Buckingham, England. A professional musician since 1972, he is primarily known for his work with Whitesnake having written or co-written many of the group’s hit songs, most notably the USA number one “Here I Go Again”. Blues rock guitarist Bernie Marsden's hot licks helped launch the career of Whitesnake, as he played on the group's first eight releases, and lent a major hand in composing some of the band's most renowned songs. Initially inspired to play the guitar as a teenager by such authentic blues players as Howling Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson, Marsden later picked up on such '60s white blues players as Peter Green, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Beck. Bernie is also renowned as one of the greatest rock and blues guitarists of all time.
Bernie Marsden was well into a recording career when he struck out on his own for 1979's And About Time Too, which may explain the album's joking title. At the time, Marsden was playing guitar in Whitesnake, following years with UFO, Wild Turkey, Cozy Powell's Hammer, and Babe Ruth, among others, so he had a significant résumé, all suggesting that he was ready for a spot of heavy rocking, but And About Time Too is much softer than his past or present, a slick and phased collection of '70s album pop and rock featuring such impressive players as Powell, Jack Bruce, Ian Paice, and Jon Lord…
‘CHESS’ is the second album in Bernie Marsden’s ‘Inspiration Series’, where he chooses and crafts his own interpretation of the iconic artists and songs that helped inspire and shape his own musical style and taste. The album features 10 tracks that were originally released on Chess by greats such as Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Howlin’ Wolf, Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters & Elmore James. What’s more, two Bernie Marsden-penned instrumentals appear as bonus tracks on the album.
The blues is like the country of Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein, nestled in the Alps, between Austria and Switzerland, is a democratic monarchy. They have a king and a parliament, but voters are also empowered to directly enact legislation, making for a democracy. The blues is also a kind of democratic monarchy, with listeners able to select the artists they want to support and a layer of blues royalty, in the form of the three Kings: Albert, B.B., and Freddie. Singer/guitarist Bernie Marsden pays tribute to those kings on Kings…
How often do you walk into a situation without knowing what will happen? Do you fear it? Or do you embrace it? The unknown is a ubiquitous phenomenon that can be found in the essence of a person, place, or thing. Many musicians welcome musical situations where they are unaware of what will happen. That could be during improvising or performing with musicians for the first time. Both take an incredible amount of vulnerability and trust. The unknown seems to drive them into a space and time that controls them, not the other way around. And more than likely, that’s what they want it to do. Musicians prefer the unknown to utilize them as vessels to reach their audience or even to experience their own liberation.