Johnny Warman

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Johnny Warman (born 1950s in London) is an English singer-songwriter best known for his 1981 recording "Walking Into Mirrors" and the single "Screaming Jets".

[edit] Biography

Born in Bethnal Green, East London, moved to Hackney at the age of 7 and enjoyed an idyllic childhood climbing trees and scrumping over Victoria Park enjoying summers that seemed to go on forever. There was always music around in their house in some shape or form but nobody played any instruments but his mum always sung and his dad really tried but was terrible. Loved School and when he first heard the Beatles at the age of 11, he was transfixed so much by the sound, he joined the Choir, and was picked to sing at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, where he sang alongside Maria Callas and Tito Gobbi, and remembers as a pivotal moment in his young life, standing on the stage and taking in the smells and colours and applause, and thinking 'This is what I want to do" When Hendrix burst onto the music scene he decided that all he wanted to be was a Rockstar, so he joined local band Bearded Lady in early 1970s. Mainly a live act, they were brilliant live with a huge following built up over 4 years that would see Chuck Berry checking them out as well as on 4 occasions Mickie Most who tried unsuccessfully to sign them to his Rak Label but they released one single "Rock Star" on the YoungBlood label in 1975.We were rehearsing 4 nights a week as we really wanted to be the best so as well as Gigging by night, Warman worked a day job to support a wife and two daughters, Zowie and Tammy. Ambitiously he soon departed Bearded Lady to try his hand as a solo artist.

He approached Arista Records with three of his songs, but was rejected. Unperturbed he then touted the same demo tapes throughout the industry, to be finally signed by Ringo Starr's Ring'O Records in 1977. The first release of this new solo act was a three-track EP single and an album called Hour Glass released in Germany by RCA in 1979.

Hour Glass received strong reviews but failed to make any chart impact. Undaunted, Warman continued touring and began to work on his approach, veering away from the rock standard and creating his own sound, incorporating the energy and vitality of the developing punk scene. In 1980, this emerged as the band Three Minutes - a band which he now jokes lasted about the same length of time. They toured with XTC and The Vapors, but soon burned out and split up.

Material developed during the Three Minutes period became Warman's highly successful second album, Walking Into Mirrors, released in 1981 on Elton John's Rocket Records label. This album featured Peter Gabriel on backing vocals of one track - the best-selling single "Screaming Jets".

In 1983, the success of Walking Into Mirrors spawned a follow-up, From the Jungle to the New Horizons, again released by Rocket. Following poor sales of that album, and the |closure of the Rocket label, Warman turned to writing tracks for other acts such as Ringo Starr (four Warman co-penned tracks appear on 1992's Time Takes Time), Starship, Asia, Cheap Trick and Elaine Paige among others.

Since then, he has been involved with two London bands, the session-supergroup 4 Bills and a Ben, and its derivative The Mods, who played at the Steve Marriott tribute in 2001.

[edit] Discography

(with Bearded Lady)

Rock Star (single) (Youngblood records, 1975)

(as solo artist)

(?self-titled?) (ep) (Ring O records, 1977)
Hour Glass (RCA Germany, 1979)
Walking Into Mirrors (Rocket Record Company, 1981)
From The Jungle To The New Horizons (Rocket Record Company, 1982)
Hour Glass SJPCD183 Re-Released on Angel Air Records 2006
Walking into Mirrors SJPCD127 Re-Released on Angel Air Records 2002
From the Jungles to the New Horizons SJPCD170 Re-Released on Angel Air Records 2003
Bearded Lady The Rise and Fall SJPCD153 Re-Released on Angel Air Records 2004