Introducing: Toby Lee, The 10 Year Old British Guitar Prodigy
Toby Lee, is the incredibly talented 10-year-old schoolboy from Oxfordshire, whose home videos of himself strumming away on his guitar have recently gone viral with millions of worldwide YouTube hits. Virtuoso American blues gutarist Joe Bonamassa recently shared a video of Toby playing a BB King song on his Facebook page and dubbed him "A future superstar of Blues Guitar". This video has now reached over 12 million people and has been viewed over 4 million times in the space of just a few days!
SCREENSHOT OF TOBY'S ORIGINAL VIDEO POST & THE SHARED POST BY JOE BONAMASSA
When a journalist from one of the UK National Newspapers asked Toby whether he thought he could make it to the very top in the music industry, Toby answered just like a typical 10 year-old and said: "I'm not sure how far I can go with this - I haven't got a time machine."
Toby, how did you feel when Joe Bonamassa shared your video on Facebook?
"I just felt amazing and proud of myself. Joe is a huge hero of mine but I never thought he would ever notice me. I still cannot get over it."
I watched the video of Toby on Facebook and was just blown away with his talent. The fact that a 10 year old already "Knows and understands" how to play the blues like a muscian who has been around for many years, is just astonishing.
Toby and his dad Terry were kind enough to do an email interview with us after we contacted them on Facebook, and Toby's Dad even took the time to chat to me over the phone before this post was published.
We are going to be following Toby's progress with much interest because, just like Joe Bonamassa, who was also discovered playing at a very young age, we are certain that Toby is destined for great things in the future.
Let's go back to the very beginning......how and when did Toby's amazing musical talent first begin to develop?
It started, way back when he was a little baby. Toby's father used to play tunes on the guitar to help get his son off to sleep. Things really began to take off when Toby received a ukulele as a present from his Grandmother at the tender age of four.
I played it until all the strings broke" said Toby "and then Santa gave me a red Strat copy when I was 7 and that’s where it started. After watching the movie School of Rock I wanted a proper guitar. I felt like a rock star and carried it everywhere"
TOBY WITH HIS FIRST SET OF STRINGS
Toby is influenced by some great guitarists and his extensive list of favourite musicians is astounding for a lad of his age - he certainly knows what he likes to play and listen to, and the usual Pop & Chart Music that most other 10 year olds like, just doesnt even figure in his playlist.
"Obviously I’m a huge fan of Joe Bonamassa, Gary Moore, Walter Trout, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, BB King, John Mayer, Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton. I also follow the younger players like Laurence Jones, Quinn Sullivan, Chris King Robinson, Joanne Shaw Taylor and Aaron Keylock. I also love rock and roll - Buddy Holly, Elvis, modern-day bands like JD McPherson and Jack Rabbit Slim and Brian Setzer. I’m a big rock fan too - Guns n Roses, Metallica, AC/DC..... "
If one day you could own a guitar that had been played by either Jimmi Hendrix, Jimmy Page or Stevie Ray Vaughan - which one would you choose and why?
"I’d love a Jimi Hendrix Strat but I can’t play a left hander and it would probably be smashed or burnt. So I’d say the SRV Strat for definite." Toby's reply indicates that for a young lad, he already has a good sense of humour and knows his "Rock and Roll History" as well as his guitars!
Toby's dream of owning a Fender Stratocaster finally came true earlier this year, when his dad gave him one of his very own, as a well deserved reward for winning a young musician of the year competition.
TOBY WITH BERNIE MARSDEN
Toby's famous fans now include blues legend Bernie Marsden whom he has met, and Mick Box, lead guitarist of Uriah Heep who has also been very supportive. Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans, described him as a "natural." and legendary Radio 2 newsreader Moira Stewart said he sounded like “a budding Jimi Hendrix” .
TOBY WITH MICK BOX FROM URIAH HEAP
Toby has already been filmed by the BBC, performing at his school. He has been championed by a Seattle-based rock and blues radio station as well as having the recent opportunity to appear on Chris Evan's Radio 2 Breakfast Show playing "Highway to Hell".
CLIP OF TOBY PLAYING SOME AC/DC AT HOME
One of Toby’s recent video's show him performing AC/DC's 'Thunderstruck' wearing a school cap - just like another one of his idols, Angus Young. Some of his other home videos have beeen filmed by his Dad on an I-Pad, whilst Toby wears his comfortable onesie, and strums away in his parent's living room. Toby's "Onesie Jams" have become an overnight internet sensation with millions of people all over the world tuning in each week and sending in requests.
We asked Toby about how the idea of playing in a Onesie originated:
"I filmed my first Onesie Jam without mum and dad knowing and I was wearing a onesie that mum made for me. I liked the idea of doing a weekly jam in a onesie! I have a tiger onesie, an army onesie and a guitar onesie!"
I can see this becoming a bit of a "trend" - every budding Rock -Star-in-the-making needs a memorable gimmick and Toby has already got this area covered! Joe Bonamassa may have the sharp Men-In-Black suits and shades as his recognizable image, but Onesie Jams could be the next big thing!
THE AMAZING VIDEO OF TOBY PLAYING FOR BB KING WHICH JOE BONAMASSA SHARED ON FACEBOOK
Despite all the instant fame and suddenly having the spotlight placed upon him, laid back Toby sounds remarkably grounded for a budding future "Guitar Hero":
"I'd give my guitar playing 9.5 out of ten because no one is perfect. I play the blues and rock and roll. I'm not sure where liking rock came from, but I listen to it all the time now and my mum and dad quite like it."
How long do you have to practice for each day? Do you play by ear or read music or do a bit of both? Do you just like playing other peoples songs or do you play things you've made up by yourself?
I don’t really practise as such, I just play all the time. So it never feels like sitting down to learn something - I always have a guitar in my hand. I play by ear and I don’t read music yet. Only recently have I done a few covers - up until then it was all improvised in my style. At my Rock School - The Witchwood School of Rock - we do not do covers - it’s all our own songs."
What's your favorite Song to play for your own enjoyment and why do you like it?
Thrill is Gone - BB King - I can do so much with it and mix up different riffs.
Remaining quietly understated about his newfound internet fame Toby says: "I just love playing and when we put the videos up on Facebook I thought they would have about ten people look at them. When I found out more than a million people had seen it, that was a surprise."
What has been the best thing for you about getting so many hits on You Tube and Facebook and becoming an internet star?
"I have had so much support and great comments. A lot of people all over the world have told me they look forward to the Sunday jam! The BB King jam has now reached 10 million people and has been viewed nearly 4 million times! I have quite a lot of "fans" on Facebook which is cool and I have also made friends with an awesome 8-year-old drummer in the USA called Alex Shumaker and we hope to do a transatlantic jam together soon!
Despite all the attention he's getting in the media, and his enormous talent for music, Toby is just like any other normal 10 year old kid and has plenty of other interests too:
"I have lots of friends, I love classic cars, running, going to music festivals, playing with my dogs and playing drums. My best subjects at school are English and Art - and I love play time!"
So how does Music fit in around Toby's education? Toby currently attends Crackley Hall School in Kenilworth and also goes to The Witchwood School of Rock in Oxfordshire a couple of times a week.
Although his Blues playing is mainly self-taught, Toby has weekly guitar lessons with Aldie Chalmers at the Witchwood School of Rock. Aldie has been an amazing teacher for Toby and creates just the right balance between a lesson and a jamming session. It can be hard to keep a 10-year-old engaged for an hour but his lessons are often done in a "Q&A" style exchanging riffs, and lots of laughs while managing to slip in some scale practice at the same time. They often run over on the time because they are having so much fun!
However, despite his prowess on the guitar, the young musician says he will certainly not be adding singing to his repetoire anytime in the future. “I really hate singing" he says - but when you can play the guitar like Toby does, adding things like vocals to his improvisions is not such a big deal.
Toby's primary school are very supportive of his music too. Toby's Headteacher Rob Duigan said: “We have many hard working and talented musicians at Crackley Hall and Toby’s obvious love of the electric guitar shines through. When he plays, he quite literally goes into another world and the sounds he makes are just extraordinary for a little boy who has only recently turned ten."
TOBY PLAYING WITH RON "BUMBLEFOOT" THAL
POSTER FOR THE MASTERCLASS SESSION THAT TOBY ATTENDED
Lots of exciting opportunities have already been heading in Toby's direction. He has just been crowned Banbury Junior Young Guitarist of the Year 2015 and he has taken a special masterclass with Ron 'Bumblefoot' ThaI, who plays with Guns 'n' Roses. This summer he is travelling to Graceland, Tennessee to visit Elvis Presley's former house.
He's been to see Walter Trout, and another talented young rising British Blues star, Laurence Jones, play live, and he was recently invited to visit the Gibson Guitars HQ in London and attended the launch party for the new album by The Darkness. He already has his own band - Augmented Force - who play every Thursday at one of The Witchwood School of Rock venues. The band is made up of four other students and Toby's tutor, Pat Scott.
TOBY IN ACTION ON STAGE
We asked Toby to tell us who he would love to share a stage with or do a duet with in the future:
"My ultimate aim would be to play with Joe Bonamassa - but I would love to have some UK mentors that can support me and help me improve too. Laurence Jones and Aaron Keylock have already offered their support and I hope to play alongside Laurence this weekend for a song or two."
TOBY WITH UK BLUES GUITARIST LAURENCE JONES
So how do his parents feel about having a musical prodigy for a son?
His proud father Terry, 48, who works as a photographer, and his mum Tracey, are absolutley delighted that their son’s music is being appreciated by so many people around the world.
"Toby's always been very passionate about the guitar." said his dad Terry in a recent press interview. "He's always strumming in the back of the car on his way to school. He's only ten but he's already getting fan mail. It's amazing and we're delighted his music is being appreciated by so many people."
It's clear Toby parents are very sensible, level headed people - it was so refreshing to find out, whilst chatting to Terry on the phone, that they are NOT overly-pushy stage-school parents living out their own dreams through their son. They know Toby has a very special and unique talent but they are nurturing it gently and not pushing him too hard, at this stage. For Toby, and his parents, the emphasis is on "music being fun" at all times and allowing him to enjoy the experience and not "grow up too quickly".
TOBY AT GIBSON GUITARS
We asked Terry how he saw Toby's career developing in the next few years:
"Well he’s only just turned 10 and he’s just like any other 10-year-old - he just happens to have a natural gift with the guitar. He’s in a very good school - Crackley Hall School - and they fully support his music. He already attends the School of Rock at Princethorpe College two years earlier than normal - it’s the secondary school he hopes to go to in September 2016. So his education is very important to us. We want to keep him as grounded as possible but also enable him to enjoy the opportunities being presented to him along the way."
"There’s no pressure for him to do anything at this stage and apart from going to Rock School twice a week and doing his weekly jam, he’s leads a normal life! We didn’t anticipate the level of support he is receiving and some of the Facebook statistics are mind blowing. We are also getting lots of requests to play at events so we will just have to manage those on a one to one basis and keep it fun at this stage."
8 YEAR OLD TOBY LEE PLAYING A BLUES IMPROVISION AT TOWER BRIDGE STUDIOS
JANUARY 2014
(THE VIDEO WAS MADE AS A SPECIAL BIRTHDAY PRESENT FOR TOBY)
We know he doesn't enjoy singing, but does Toby have any plans to record any instrumental tracks or play some live shows?
He’s got a good little voice but singing the blues sounding like a chipmunk doesn’t quite work!! I’m sure he will sing in time. We would love to get him recorded as soon as possible - even just to mark this moment in time. Some time in a recording studio is high on our list - maybe just an EP would be good.The best we could hope for right now would be guest appearances at shows, guest soloist on other artists albums and just a good network of friends and mentors who will guide him.
Do you hope he will go on to study music and develop his talents further, or do you see him going out on the road in a few years time and making a living out of being a professional gigging musician?
It would be great if he chooses to study music - we have great friends in Boston USA and Toby is fixated with going to Berklee College of Music - we would fully support that plan in the future! If once-in-a-lifetime opportunities come his way sooner, then we will have lots to think about! Most importantly we want him to be a kid and enjoy his young life - he’s got plenty of time to work.
As parents, you must be delighted with all the current attention Toby is getting for his musical talents but do you worry about the effects that all this early exposure may put on him? How do you go about encouraging his talent whilst still shielding him from the less healthy aspects of the music business and all the possible media hype?
Yes it’s great and he is not bothered by the attention. He only does things if he wants to and we would never force him. At 10, he has no concept of the Facebook numbers or the amount of comments but he is enjoying the fact that people are so supportive. Our aim is to surround him with the right people and to make sure he is having fun and enjoying the process.
Where does Toby get his musical talent from? Does Toby have any other relatives who also play?
I’d love to say it was me! But as much as I love guitars, I’m pretty rubbish. I own a few but they have now been passed to Toby. I play drums and Toby’s mum Tracey plays piano, violin and has recently taken up the saxophone. Toby’s uncle, Nigel Girling is also a great blues guitarist and the two have played together on a number of occasions.
If Toby decided in the future to take another career path altogether and just play guitar for pleasure, how would you feel?
Toby is free to do whatever he likes - but there’s no sign of that option at the moment.
How does Toby fit music around his schooling and home life? Does he do all the normal stuff that any other 10 year old boy does or is he purely focused on his music?
It’s a bit of a juggling act but no different to many of our friends who shuttle their kids to football, swimming or rugby clubs and matches. He’s very much your average boy, lots of friends, a lovely girlfriend, he’s very much an outdoor kid and does not play computer games. Our home is full of instruments so if he’s not playing guitar, he’s drumming his kit or the furniture! He has a great sense of humour and loves Wayne’s World.
What has been your most proudest moment as Toby's parents so far?
The day he was born!! ........It’s hard to say, he’s done so many cool things so far. We do feel very proud of him when he plays and you see him go into his own world and not even looking at the fretboard. He’s getting far more confident now and it was a proud moment watching him at Gibson Guitars, London last week chatting away to the Global Director Alex Juszkiewicz like they were old pals. The Joe Bonamassa approval also takes some beating."
It's very clear that this talented young lad, Toby Lee has an exciting future waiting out there for him, and great parents who will be there to guide him in all the right directions to make sure he is happy and continues to enjoying playing his music and developing his own style.
We can't wait to see how things pan out for Toby - one things for sure, Joe Bonamassa better watch over his shoulder - Toby Lee could well be playing with him and exchanging riffs with him on stage in a few years time - and wouldn't that be an amazing thing to see....The world's most consumate Blues Guitarist battling it out with the next possible Heir to the Throne...
We'd like to extend our deepest thanks to both Toby and Terry Lee for taking the time out to chat to us and providing us with some great photographs too. We really look foward to sharing many more Onesie Jam sessions on our social media pages soon - and maybe one day in the future we'll be attending a "Sold Out Toby Lee Gig in London" and giving it a stonking 10/10 review!
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